2008 Houston Astros season

2008 Houston Astros
LeagueNational League
DivisionCentral
BallparkMinute Maid Park
CityHouston, Texas
Record86–75 (.534)
Divisional place3rd
OwnersDrayton McLane Jr.
General managersEd Wade
ManagersCecil Cooper
TelevisionFSN Houston
KTXH (My 20)
Bill Brown, Jim Deshaies
RadioKTRH
Milo Hamilton, Brett Dolan, Dave Raymond
KLAT (Spanish)
StatsESPN.com
Baseball Reference

The 2008 Houston Astros season was the 47th season for the Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise located in Houston, Texas, their 44th as the Astros, 47th in the National League (NL), 15th in the NL Central division, and ninth at Minute Maid Park. The Astros entered the season with a 73–89 record, in fourth place in the NL Central division and 12 games behind the division-champion Chicago Cubs.

On March 31, pitcher Roy Oswalt made his sixth consecutive Opening Day start for the Astros, hosted by the San Diego Padres at Petco Park, but were defeated, 4–0. In the amateur draft, the Astros' first round selections included catcher Jason Castro (10th overall) and pitcher Jordan Lyles (38th).

First baseman Lance Berkman and shortstop Miguel Tejada were selected to the MLB All-Star Game, representing the Astros and playing for the National League, It was the fourth career selection for Berkman, and fifth for Tejada. Closer José Valverde led the NL in saves with 44, the third pitcher to do so for Houston. On August 17, the jersey number of former second baseman Craig Biggio (7) was retired during a pre-game ceremony. On September 23, former Astros outfielder Jesús Alou was honored with the Hispanic Heritage Hall of Fame's Pioneer Award.

Houston finished the 2008 season with a 86–75 record for third place in the NL West, and 11 games behind Chicago for first place. In the NL Wild Card race, Houston ranked second, trailing the Milwaukee Brewers by 3+1⁄2 games, thus missing the playoffs. This was the 15th season in a span of 17 that Houston had finished with a record . of .500 or better, since 1992, and their final while still competing in the National League.

Off season

Summary

On October 29, all six eligible Astros players filed for free agency. The list includes catcher Brad Ausmus, infielder Mike Lamb, infielder Mark Loretta, outfielder Orlando Palmeiro, left-handed reliever Trever Miller and right-handed reliever Brian Moehler.

On October 30, the Astros signed catcher Brad Ausmus to a 1-year, $2 million contract.

On November 8, The Astros acquired outfielder Michael Bourn, third baseman Michael Costanzo, and right-handed reliever Geoff Geary from the Philadelphia Phillies in exchange for right-handed pitcher Brad Lidge and infielder Eric Bruntlett. The announcement was made by Astros General Manager Ed Wade.[1]

On November 16, the Astros acquired right-handed reliever Óscar Villarreal from the Atlanta Braves in exchange for center fielder Josh Anderson. On the same day, the Astros also signed outfielder Yordany Ramirez as a free agent.

On November 20, the Astros signed free agent utilityman Geoff Blum to a one-year deal including a club option for a second year.

On November 26, the Astros signed free agent relief pitcher Doug Brocail to a one-year deal.

On November 30, the Astros and free agent Kazuo Matsui agreed to a 3-year, $16.5 million deal. Matsui played second base for the NL Champion Colorado Rockies in the 2007 season.[2]

On December 12, the Astros acquired shortstop Miguel Tejada from the Orioles for five players. The Astros traded outfielder Luke Scott, pitchers Matt Albers, Troy Patton and Dennis Sarfate and third baseman Mike Costanzo to Baltimore for Tejada. Adam Everett, the Astros shortstop at the time, had to deal with a double-whammy: not only did the Astros trade for Tejada, they also non-tendered Everett, leaving him without a team as of 11 p.m. CT.

On December 14, The Houston Astros' offseason of dealing continued on Friday when the club traded Chris Burke, Chad Qualls and Juan Gutiérrez to the Arizona Diamondbacks in exchange for closer José Valverde.

In January, Brandon Backe, Ty Wigginton, and Dave Borkowski were signed to a one-year contract.

On February 20, Shawn Chacón signed a one-year deal.

On March 29, the Astros released Woody Williams.

On March 30, the contracts of OF José Cruz Jr. and RHP Brian Moehler were purchased from Triple-A Round Rock.

Spring training

In spring training the Astros posted a 13–18 record culminating with a 9–4 win in the final spring training game at Minute Maid Park.

Regular season

Summary

March–April

Opening Day starting lineup
Uniform Player Position
14 Michael Bourn Center fielder
9 Hunter Pence Right fielder
17 Lance Berkman First baseman
45 Carlos Lee Left fielder
10 Miguel Tejada Shortstop
21 Ty Wigginton Third baseman
8 Mark Loretta Second baseman
11 Brad Ausmus Catcher
44 Roy Oswalt Pitcher
Venue: Petco Park • Final: San Diego 4, Houston 0

Sources:[3][4]

After having lost the first two games of the 2008 campaign to the San Diego Padres, the Astros trailed 6–5 on April 2 in the top of the 9th with two outs. With Padres closer Trevor Hoffman on the mound, the Astros put two runners on base. Hunter Pence then scalded a line drive that deflected off Adrián González' glove, which skipped into right field, allowing Houston to tie the score. Next, Lance Berkman smashed a three-run home run to deep center field, positioning the Astros in front for a 9–6 score. Astros reliever José Valverde then closed out the Astros' first 2008 win.

May

After being shut down for six innings via a no-hit bid from Hiroki Kuroda, Pence rifled a two-out single in the seventh. The team later responded with six runs in the eighth inning. With two outs in the bottom of the ninth, two Dodgers runs already in and baserunner on first, Valverde relieved Doug Brocail. He retired Andre Ethier on a popup to preserve Houston's 8–5 comeback win over the Los Angeles Dodgers.[5][6]

Berkman belted a two-run home on May 14 at AT&T Park to lead an Astros 6–3 win over the San Francisco Giants. Already on an offensive tear to start the season off, the home run put Berkman at the top of the NL leaderboard (14) and also for each of runs scored (43), runs batted in (40 RBI), on-base plus slugging percentage (1.264 OPS), to go along with a robust .388 batting average.[7]

Though Pence had homered twice on May 23 to put the Astros ahead, 4–3, all eyes were on Valverde, who took a line drive off his face. However, he stayed in retire the Philadelphia Phillies and close out his 15th save.[8]

On May 27, Pence hit 5-for-5 against the St. Louis Cardinals, leading an 8–2 Astros win. This win moved the Astros into second-place tie with St. Louis to trail only the Chicago Cubs.[9]

June

The Astros announced on June 25 an indefinite suspension of starting pitcher Shawn Chacón and eventually, voiding of his contract. Chacón had initiated an altercation with general manager Ed Wade in which he grabbed Wade's neck and threw him to the ground.[10]

July

On July 29, Carlos Lee connected for his third grand slam as a Houston Astro.[11] The blast occurred during the bottom of the fifth inning to deep left field, capping a 6–2 triumph over the Cincinnati Reds. Brian Moehler (6–4) cruised for the victory, pitching into the ninth and until the penultimate out. With two baserunners on, Wesley Wright entered in relief and whiffed Joey Votto for the final out and save,[12] the first of his major league career.[13]

August

On August 6, Brandon Backe surrendered a career-worst 11 runs over 3+2⁄3 innings.[14] Most of the damaged was done in the third inning, when Mark DeRosa connected for a grand slam, highlighting an 11–4 defeat to the Cubs.[15]

With a victory on August 7, Houston launched a season-high eight-game winning streak.[16] Led by seven innings with one run allowed from Roy Oswalt (9–8), the Astros took a 7–4 decision from the Cincinnati Reds. Tejada, Berkman, and Lee collected three hits each, while Pence slugged his 15th longball.[17]

Carlos Lee, in peak form, on August 8 delivered a two-run double in the tenth inning to defeat the Reds, 9–5. The play brought an NL-leading 100th run batted in (RBI) of the season, as well the 1000th of his career. Lee added a home run among four hits, and Kaz Matsui, Humberto Quintero and Pence also went deep. However, the following day, Lee sustained a fractured pinkie when hit by pitch on a Bronson Arroyo offering, halting his season after 115 games.[18]

For the week of August 4–10, Lee was recognized with the NL Player of the Week Award:[19] At that point, Lee had been on course for the best offensive statistical season of his major league career, with injuries never being an issue. In each of ten different seasons, "El Caballo" appeared in 150 or more contests.[20]

On August 16, Brandon Backe tied a major league record by relinquishing two grand slams in the same game,[21] during the first inning, to Miguel Montero, and then in the sixth, to Chris Young. This led an 11–5 Arizona Diamondbacks' victory over the Astros. Montero also cranked a solo home run in the fourth inning.[22] The three home runs and 11 earned runs charged to Backe both tied a career-high.[14]

Retirement of Craig Biggio's uniform number 7

Longtime second baseman Craig Biggio's jersey number 7 was officially retired by the club during a pre-game ceremony at Minute Maid Park on August 17, 2008. A seven-time All-Star, Biggio played all 20 seasons with the Astros and retired as the franchise leader in games played (2,850), at bats (10,876), runs scored (1,844), and hits (3,060), and the all-time leader in doubles by right-handed hitters in major league history (668).[23]

Rest of August

The Astros commenced an eight-game winning streak on August 27, matching their season-high started less than three weeks earlier, on August 7.[16]

Lance Berkman connected for his first career walk-off home run on August 29, the 285th home run, to set a major league record. Previously, Alex Rodriguez (275) held the record for number of times homering prior to his first Major League walk-off blast.[24] It was a solo home run off Russ Springer during the bottom of the ninth to win it, 3–2, over the St. Louis Cardinals. This was also the first walk-off hit of Berkman's career.[25]

September

On September 8, in his first major league plate appearance, Mark Saccomanno connected for a home run on the first pitch thrown to him at the level. He became the 12th player in National League history to achieve the latter distinction,[26] and the 25th major leaguer overall.[27] Saccomanno appeared as a pinch hitter in the fifth inning.[Note 1]

Roy Oswalt established the Astros' franchise record with a 32+1⁄3 scoreless innings streak through September 11, surpassing 31 innings set by J. R. Richard in 1980, while having polished off a 6–0 shutout of the Pittsburgh Pirates on 90 pitches. It extended Houston's winning streak to six games to pull within 3 games of the NL Wild Card-leading Milwaukee Brewers. Having won 14 of 15 games, Houston jetted to a major league-leading 36–16 record since the All-Star break.[28]

Due to damage in Houston inflicted by Hurricane Ike, the September 14 home contest against the Cubs was relocated to Miller Park in Milwaukee. There, Carlos Zambrano no-hit the Astros, 5–0, making it the first-ever neutral site no-hitter in Major League Baseball. Zambrano allowed just two base-runners, issuing a walk to Michael Bourn in the fourth inning and hit by pitch of Hunter Pence in the fifth inning.[29]

During a pre-game ceremony at Minute Maid Park on September 23, 2008, former Houston Astros outfielder Jesús Alou was recognized with the Hispanic Heritage Baseball Museum Hall of Fame's Pioneer Award.[30]

Performance overview

The Astros concluded the 2008 season with a 86–75 record for third place in the NL Cetnral, and 11 games behind Chicago for first place, an improvement from 73 wins in 2007.[31] In the NL Wild Card race, Houston ranked second, trailing the Milwaukee Brewers by 3+1⁄2 games, thus missing the playoffs.[32] Since 1992, it had been the 15th of 17 seasons in which the Astros finished at .500 or above, the final in the National League, and last until their next postseason run in 2015. This was Houston's final winning season as members of the National League prior to transferring to the American League in 2013, with the their next winning seasons occurring 2015.[33]

The Astros as a team committed 67 errors, the fewest by any team in National League history, excluding seasons that were shortened.[34]

Valverde led the National League in saves with 44, which tied Billy Wagner for the club record, which he achieved in 2003.[34]

Lance Berkman, leader of the National League in doubles (46) for the second time, first did so in the 2001 season. Berkman joined César Cedeño (twice, 1971 and 1972) and former teammate and fellow "Killer B" Craig Biggio (thrice, 1994, 1998 and 1999) as Astros to have led the league in multiple campaigns.[35] Berkman was also recognized as team Most Valuable Player (MVP) for the fifth time, which broke a tie with José Cruz and was one behind another fellow Killer B Jeff Bagwell for must in club history.[36]

Miguel Tejada established a National League single-season record by grounding into 32 double plays.[a][37]

Season standings

NL Central
Team W L Pct. GB Home Road
Chicago Cubs 97 64 .602 — 55‍–‍26 42‍–‍38
Milwaukee Brewers 90 72 .556 7½ 49‍–‍32 41‍–‍40
Houston Astros 86 75 .534 11 47‍–‍33 39‍–‍42
St. Louis Cardinals 86 76 .531 11½ 46‍–‍35 40‍–‍41
Cincinnati Reds 74 88 .457 23½ 43‍–‍38 31‍–‍50
Pittsburgh Pirates 67 95 .414 30½ 39‍–‍42 28‍–‍53

Record vs. opponents

2008 National League record

Source: MLB Standings Grid – 2008

Team AZ ATL CHC CIN COL FLA HOU LAD MIL NYM PHI PIT SD SF STL WAS AL
Arizona – 3–5 2–4 2–4 15–3 2–7 4–2 8–10 2–5 3–3 3–4 4–3 10–8 11–7 3–4 4–2 6–9
Atlanta 5–3 – 0–6 3–3 4–3 10–8 3–3 4–2 3–6 11–7 4–14 2–5 5–1 2–5 2–5 6–12 8–7
Chicago 4–2 6–0 – 8–7 5–1 4–3 8–9 5–2 9–7 4–2 3–4 14–4 5–2 4–3 9–6 3–3 6–9
Cincinnati 4–2 3–3 7–8 – 1–5 6–2 3–12 1–7 10–8 3–4 3–5 6–9 4–3 5–1 5–10 4–3 9–6
Colorado 3–15 3–4 1–5 5–1 – 5–3 3–3 8–10 4–3 3–6 0–5 5–2 9–9 11–7 3–4 4–3 7–8
Florida 7–2 8–10 3–4 2–6 3–5 – 4–2 3–4 5–1 8–10 10–8 3–2 4–2 3–3 2–5 14–3 5–10
Houston 2–4 3–3 9–8 12–3 3–3 2–4 – 4–3 7–8 5–2 3–4 8–8 3–3 7–1 7–8 4–2 7–11
Los Angeles 10–8 2–4 2–5 7–1 10–8 4–3 3–4 – 4–2 3–4 4–4 5–2 11–7 9–9 2–4 3–3 5–10
Milwaukee 5–2 6–3 7–9 8–10 3–4 1–5 8–7 2–4 – 2–4 1–5 14–1 4–3 6–0 10–5 6–2 7–8
New York 3–3 7–11 2–4 4–3 6–3 10–8 2–5 4–3 4–2 – 11–7 4–3 2–5 5–1 4–3 12–6 9–6
Philadelphia 4–3 14–4 4–3 5–3 5–0 8–10 4–3 4–4 5–1 7–11 – 4–2 4–2 3–3 5–4 12–6 4–11
Pittsburgh 3–4 5–2 4–14 9–6 2–5 2–3 8–8 2–5 1–14 3–4 2–4 – 3–4 4–2 10–7 3–4 6–9
San Diego 8–10 1–5 2–5 3–4 9–9 2–4 3–3 7–11 3–4 5–2 2–4 4–3 – 5–13 1–6 5–1 3–15
San Francisco 7–11 5–2 3–4 1–5 7–11 3–3 1–7 9–9 0–6 1–5 3–3 2–4 13–5 – 4–3 7–0 6–12
St. Louis 4–3 5–2 6–9 10–5 4–3 5–2 8–7 4–2 5–10 3–4 4–5 7–10 6–1 3–4 – 5–1 7–8
Washington 2–4 12–6 3–3 3–4 3–4 3–14 2–4 3–3 2–6 6–12 6–12 4–3 1–5 0–7 1–5 – 8–10

Roster

2008 Houston Astros
Roster
Pitchers Catchers

Infielders

Outfielders

Other batters

Manager

Coaches

Game log

  •   Home Game
  •   Away Game
  • † = Interleague Game
  • All games, dates and times are subject to change
2008 Game Log
March
# Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Attendance Record Wrapup
1 March 31 @ Padres 0–4 Peavy (1–0) Oswalt (0–1) 44,965 0–1 [1]
April
# Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Attendance Record Wrapup
2 April 1 @ Padres 1–2 Young (1–0) Backe (0–1) Hoffman (1) 20,825 0–2 [2]
3 April 2 @ Padres 9–6 Valverde (1–0) Hoffman (0–1) 18,714 1–2 [3]
4 April 3 @ Padres 2–3 E. González (1–0) Villareal (0–1) Hoffman (2) 24,432 1–3 [4]
5 April 4 @ Cubs 4–3 Wright (1–0) Lieber (0–1) Valverde (1) 37,812 2–3 [5]
6 April 5 @ Cubs 7–9 Hart (1–0) Oswalt (0–2) Wood (2) 40,707 2–4 [6]
7 April 6 @ Cubs 2–3 Zambrano (1–0) Villarreal (0–2) Wood (3) 40,929 2–5 [7]
8 April 7 Cardinals 5–3 Valverde (2–0) McClellan (0–1) 43,483 3–5 [8]
9 April 8 Cardinals 3–5 Reyes (1–0) Geary (0–1) Isringhausen (4) 30,184 3–6 [9]
10 April 9 Cardinals 4–6 Looper (2–0) Sampson (0–1) Isringhausen (5) 29,187 3–7 [10]
11 April 11 Marlins 6–10 Nolasco (1–0) Oswalt (0–3) 34,191 3–8 [11]
12 April 12 Marlins 5–0 Backe (1–1) Miller (0–2) 34,336 4–8 [12]
13 April 13 Marlins 5–1 Rodríguez (1–0) Badenhop (0–1) 29,766 5–8 [13]
14 April 15 @ Phillies 3–4 Seánez (1–1) Valverde (2–1) 34,609 5–9 [14]
15 April 16 @ Phillies 2–1 Oswalt (1–3) Kendrick (1–2) Brocail (1) 31,644 6–9 [15]
16 April 17 @ Phillies 2–10 Myers (2–1) Backe (1–2) 33,526 6–10 [16]
17 April 18 Rockies 11–5 Morales (1–1) Sampson (0–2) 34,272 6–11 [17]
18 April 19 Rockies 2–3 Cook (2–1) Villarreal (0–3) Corpas (4) 34,540 6–12 [18]
19 April 20 Rockies 6–4 Wright (2–0) Fuentes (0–1) Valverde (2) 35,286 7–12 [19]
20 April 21 Padres 10–3 Oswalt (2–3) Germano (0–2) 28,600 8–12 [20]
21 April 22 Padres 11–7 Valverde (3–1) Bell (0–2) 33,434 9–12 [21]
22 April 23 @ Reds 9–3 Sampson (1–2) Arroyo (0–3) 16,017 10–12 [22]
23 April 24 @ Reds 5–3 Cassel (1–0) Cueto (3) Valverde (3) 17,403 11–12 [23]
24 April 25 @ Cardinals 3–2 Wright (2–0) Isringhausen (1–2) Valverde (4) 41,193 12–12 [24]
25 April 26 @ Cardinals 3–4 Wainwright (3–1) Borkowski (0–1) 43,040 12–13 [25]
26 April 27 @ Cardinals 1–5 Lohse (3–0) Backe (1–3) McClellan (1) 44,222 12–14 [26]
27 April 28 @ D-backs 3–5 Haren (4–1) Sampson (1–3) Lyon (8) 19,868 12–15 [27]
28 April 29 @ D-backs 6–4 Brocail (1–0) González (1–2) Valverde (5) 20,241 13–15 [28]
29 April 30 @ D-backs 7–8 Medders (1–0) Borkowski (0–2) Lyon (9) 21,519 13–16 [29]
May
# Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Attendance Record Wrapup
30 May 2 Brewers 7–4 Oswalt (3–3) Villanueva (1–3) Valverde (6) 39,715 14–16
31 May 3 Brewers 6–2 Backe (2–3) Parra (1–2) 35,002 15–16
32 May 4 Brewers 8 – 6 (12) Byrdak (1–0) Stetter (1–1) 38,301 16–16
33 May 6 Nationals 6–5 Brocail (2–0) Ayala (1–2) Valverde (7) 30,335 17–16
34 May 7 Nationals 4–3 Valverde (4–1) Hanrahan (0–2) 30,432 18–16
35 May 8 Nationals 8–3 Lannan (3–3) Backe (2–4) 33,433 18–17
36 May 9 @ Dodgers 7–1 Moehler (1–0) Lowe (2–3) 52,658 19–17
37 May 10 @ Dodgers 5–0 Sampson (2–3) Billingsley (2–5) 45,212 20–17
38 May 11 @ Dodgers 8–5 Geary (1–1) Broxton (1–1) Valverde (8) 40,217 21–17
39 May 12 @ Giants 7–3 Oswalt (4–3) Chulk (0–1) Valderde (9) 30,165 22–17
40 May 13 @ Giants 4–2 Cain (2–3) Backe (2–5) Wilson (12) 30,858 22–18
41 May 14 @ Giants 6–3 Villarreal (1–3) Taschner (2–1) Valverde (10) 33,070 23–18
42 May 15 @ Giants 8–7 Byrdak (2–0) Chulk (0–2) Valverde (11) 33,771 24–18
43 May 16 @ Rangers † 16–8 Wright (2–1) Wright (3–1) 32,117 24–19
44 May 17 @ Rangers† 6–2 Padilla (6–2) Oswalt (4–4) 38,534 24–20
45 May 18 @ Rangers† 5–4 Backe (2–5) Gabbard (1–1) Valverde (11) 33,561 25–20
46 May 19 Cubs 7–2 Lilly (5–4) Moehler (1–1) 32,458 25–21
47 May 20 Cubs 4–2 Sampson (3–3) Dempster (5–2) Valverde (13) 33,339 26–21
48 May 21 Cubs 5–3 Chacón (1–0) Gallagher (1–1) 33,251 27–21
49 May 22 Phillies 7–5 Durbin (1–1) Wright (3–2) Lidge (12) 29,263 27–22
50 May 23 Phillies 4–3 Backe (3–5) Eaton (0–3) Valverde (12) 41,152 28–22
51 May 24 Phillies 4–3 Moehler (2–1) Myers (2–6) Brocail (2) 42,660 29–22
52 May 25 Phillies 6–15 Seánez (3–3) Nieve (0–1) 43,079 29–23
53 May 27 @ Cardinals 8–2 Chacón (1–0) Looper (6–4) 41,104 30–23
54 May 28 @ Cardinals 1–6 Wainwright (5–2) Rodríguez (1–1) 41,114 30–24
55 May 29 @ Cardinals 2–3 Lohse (5–2) Oswalt (4–5) Franklin (4) 41,786 30–25
56 May 30 @ Brewers 5–1 Parra (3–2) Backe (4–6) 32,039 30–26
57 May 31 @ Brewers 4–1 Sheets (6–1) Moehler (2–2) Torres (5) 42,913 30–27
June
# Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Attendance Record Wrapup
58 June 1 @ Brewers 10–1 Bush (2–5) Chacón (2–1) 44,613 30–28
59 June 3 @ Pirates 2–0 Rodríguez (2–1) Dumatrait (2–3) Valverde (16) 13,183 31–28
60 June 4 @ Pirates 5–2 Duke (3–4) Oswalt (4–6) Capps (12) 9,392 31–29
61 June 5 @ Pirates 4–3 Maholm (4–5) Backe (4–7) Capps (13) 10,728 31–30
62 June 6 Cardinals 6–1 Moehler (3–2) Looper (7–5) 38,596 32–30
63 June 7 Cardinals 8–4 Wainwright (6–3) Chacón (2–2) 39,811 32–31
64 June 8 Cardinals 5–4 Lohse (7–2) Rodríguez (2–2) Franklin (8) 39,923 32–32
65 June 10 Brewers 6–1 Oswalt (5–6) McClung (3–3) 35,058 33–32
66 June 11 Brewers 10–6 Parra (5–2) Backe (4–8) 33,806 33–33
67 June 12 Brewers 9–6 Sheets (7–1) Moehler (3–3) 35,709 33–34
68 June 13 Yankees† 2–1 Veras (1–0) Brocail (2–1) Farnsworth (1) 43,095 33–35
69 June 14 Yankees† 8–4 Mussina (10–4) Rodríguez (2–3) 43,409 33–36
70 June 15 Yankees† 13–0 Wang (8–2) Oswalt (5–7) 43,165 33–37
71 June 17 @ Orioles† 6–5 Johnson (2–2) Brocail (2–2) Sherrill (23) 21,535 33–38
72 June 18 @ Orioles† 2 – 1 (10) Bradford (3–2) Valverde (4–2) 21,112 33–39
73 June 19 @ Orioles† 7–5 Burres (6–5) Chacón (2–3) Sherrill (24) 31,480 33–40
74 June 20 @ Rays† 4–3 Oswalt (6–7) Garza (5–4) Valverde (17) 14,741 34–40
75 June 21 @ Rays† 4–3 Wheeler (2–3) Brocail (2–3) 29,953 34–41
76 June 22 @ Rays† 3–2 Backe (5–8) Kazmir (6–3) Valverde (18) 19,778 35–41
77 June 24 Rangers† 4–3 Moehler (4–3) Hurley (0–1) Valverde (19) 40,052 36–41
78 June 25 Rangers† 3–2 Mendoza (1–2) Oswalt (6–8) Wilson (16) 32,567 36–42
79 June 26 Rangers† 7–2 Rodríguez (3–3) Millwood (5–4) 36,506 37–42
80 June 27 Red Sox† 6–1 Matsuzaka (9–1) Hernández (0–1) Papelbon (24) 42,327 37–43
81 June 28 Red Sox† 11–10 Brocail (3–3) Delcarmen (0–2) Valverde (20) 43,073 38–43
82 June 29 Red Sox† 3–2 Brocail (4–3) Aardsma (2–2) Valverde (21) 42,066 39–43
83 June 30 Dodgers 4–1 Oswalt (7–8) Stults (2–1) Valverde (22) 28,827 40–44
July
# Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Attendance Record Wrapup
84 July 1 Dodgers 7 – 6 (11) Park (4–2) Wright (3–3) Saito (13) 31,914 40–44
85 July 2 Dodgers 4–1 Kuroda (4–6) Hernández (0–2) 34,058 40–45
86 July 3 Dodgers 5–2 Billingsley (8–7) Backe (5–9) Saito (14) 35,696 40–46
87 July 4 @ Braves 6–2 Hudson (9–6) Moehler (4–4) 48,045 40–47
88 July 5 @ Braves 6–1 Sampson (4–3) Reyes (3–7) 37,049 41–47
89 July 6 @ Braves 7 – 6 (17) Ring (2–1) Byrdak (2–1) 24,169 41–48
90 July 7 @ Pirates 10–7 Bautista (2–2) Hernández (0–3) Marte (2) 13,323 41–49
91 July 8 @ Pirates 4–3 Grabow (5–2) Brocail (4–4) Marte (3) 17,867 41–50
92 July 9 @ Pirates 6–4 Moehler (5–4) Burnett (0–1) Valverde (23) 13,884 42–50
93 July 11 @ Nationals 10–0 Redding (7–3) Paronto (0–1) Shell (1) 33,653 42–51
94 July 12 @ Nationals 6–4 Rodríguez (4–3) Balester (1–2) Valverde (24) 30,682 43–51
95 July 13 @ Nationals 5–0 Backe (6–9) Pérez (2–7) 31,463 44–51
96 July 18 Cubs 2–1 Geary (2–1) Howry (3–3) 42,368 45–51
97 July 19 Cubs 4–1 Rodríguez (5–3) Zambrano (10–4) Valverde (25) 43,129 46–51
98 July 20 Cubs 9–0 Dempster (11–4) Backe (6–10) 41,161 46–52
99 July 21 Pirates 9–2 Valverde (4–3) Yates (4–2) 34,624 46–53
100 July 22 Pirates 8–2 Maholm (7–6) Cassel (1–1) 33,996 46–54
101 July 23 Pirates 8–7 Osoria (4–3) Geary (2–2) Marte (5) 36,091 46–55
102 July 25 @ Brewers 3–1 Rodríguez (6–3) Parra (9–3) Valverde (26) 41,357 47–55
103 July 26 @ Brewers 6–4 Gagné (4–2) Brocail (4–5) Torres (20) 43,489 47–56
104 July 27 @ Brewers 11–6 Sampson (5–3) Suppan (5–7) 31,565 48–56
105 July 28 Reds 5–4 Oswalt (8–8) Cueto (7–10) Valverde (27) 31,783 49–56
106 July 29 Reds 6–2 Moehler (6–4) Arroyo (9–8) Wright (1) 34,015 50–56
107 July 30 Reds 9–5 Vólquez (13–4) Rodríguez (6–4) 30,272 50–57
August
# Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Attendance Record Wrapup
108 August 1 Mets 7–3 Brocail (5–5) Heilman (1–5) 41,083 51–57
109 August 2 Mets 5–4 Valverde (5–3) Heilman (1–6) 39,152 52–57
110 August 3 Mets 4–0 Wolf (7–10) Pérez (7–7) 38,602 53–57
111 August 4 @ Cubs 2 – 0 (8) Moehler (7–4) Dempster (12–5) Hawkins (1) 40,867 54–57
112 August 5 @ Cubs 11–7 Howry (4–4) Sampson (5–4) 40,416 54–58
113 August 6 @ Cubs 11–4 Marquis (7–7) Backe (6–11) 41,107 54–59
114 August 7 @ Reds 7–4 Oswalt (9–8) Fogg (2–4) 27,378 55–59
115 August 8 @ Reds 9 – 5 (10) Sampson (6–4) Cordero (4–4) 25,652 56–59
116 August 9 @ Reds 3–1 Moehler (8–4) Arroyo (10–9) Valverde (28) 26,044 57–59
117 August 10 @ Reds 13–4 Rodríguez (7–4) Harang (3–12) 30,789 58–59
118 August 11 Giants 3–1 Backe (7–11) Sánchez (8–9) Valverde (29) 28,220 59–59
118 August 12 Giants 12–4 Oswalt (10–8) Walker (4–7) 29,451 60–59
120 August 13 Giants 6–2 Wolf (8–10) Zito (6–15) 30,330 61–59
121 August 14 Giants 7–4 Hawkins (2–1) Yabu (3–5) Valverde (30) 33,612 62–59
122 August 15 Diamondbacks 12–2 Webb (18–4) Rodríguez (7–5) 36,035 62–60
123 August 16 Diamondbacks 11–5 Petit (2–3) Backe (7–12) 33,612 62–61
124 August 17 Diamondbacks 3–0 Oswalt (11–8) Johnson (10–9) Valverde (31) 42,619 63–61
125 August 18 @ Brewers 9–3 Sabathia (14–8) Wolf (8–11) 41,991 63–62
126 August 19 @ Brewers 5–2 Moehler (9–4) Sheets (11–7) Valverde (32) 41,662 64–62
127 August 20 @ Brewers 5–2 Parra (10–6) Rodríguez (7–6) Torres (24) 41,419 64–63
128 August 22 @ Mets 5–2 Santana (12–7) Oswalt (11–9) Ayala (1) 52,008 64–64
129 August 23 @ Mets 8–3 Backe (8–12) Maine (10–8) 51,766 65–64
130 August 24 @ Mets 6–4 Hawkins (3–1) Feliciano (2–4) Valverde (33) 49,758 66–64
131 August 25 @ Mets 9–1 Pelfrey (13–8) Moehler (9–5) 41,419 66–65
132 August 26 Reds 2–1 Arroyo (12–10) Geary (2–3) 30,395 66–66
133 August 27 Reds 4–1 Oswalt (12–9) Fogg (2–7) Valverde (34) 30,741 67–66
134 August 28 Reds 3–2 Backe (9–12) Harang (4–14) Valverde (35) 30,028 68–66
135 August 29 Cardinals 3–2 Brocail (6–5) Springer (2–1) 33,347 69–66
136 August 30 Cardinals 8–5 Moehler (10–5) Looper (12–11) Valverde (36) 37,569 70–66
137 August 31 Cardinals 3–0 Rodríguez (8–6) Wellemeyer (11–6) Valverde (37) 35,638 71–66
September
# Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Attendance Record Wrapup
138 September 1 @ Cubs 3–0 Oswalt (13–9) Marquis (9–8) Valverde (38) 40,670 72–66
139 September 2 @ Cubs 9–7 Wright (8–6) Wood (4–3) Valverde (39) 39,846 73–66
140 September 3 @ Cubs 4–0 Wolf (9–11) Dempster (15–6) 40,163 74–66
141 September 5 @ Rockies 5–3 Jiménez (10–12) Moehler (10–6) Fuentes (27) 26,163 74–67
142 September 6 @ Rockies 2–0 Oswalt (14–9) Francis (4–9) 32,352 75–67
143 September 7 @ Rockies 7–5 Brocail (7–5) Buchholz (6–5) Valverde (40) 30,509 76–67
144 September 8 Pirates 3–2 Arias (1–0) Snell (6–11) Valverde (41) 26,526 77–67
145 September 9 Pirates 9–3 Wolf (10–11) Ohlendorf (1–2) 30,034 78–67
146 September 10 Pirates 7–4 Moehler (11–6) Bautista (4–4) Valverde (42) 26,859 79–67
147 September 11 Pirates 6–0 Oswalt (15–9) Duke (5–14) 31,101 80–67
– September 12 Cubs Postponed (Hurricane Ike) Rescheduled for September 14 @ Miller Park.
– September 13 Cubs Postponed (Hurricane Ike) Rescheduled for September 15 @ Miller Park.
– September 14 Cubs Postponed (Hurricane Ike) Cancelled due to the Astros being eliminated from playoff contention and the Cubs winning the NL Central on September 20.
148 September 14 Cubs* 5–0 Zambrano (14–5) Wolf (10–12) 23,441 80–68
149 September 15 Cubs* 6–1 Lilly (15–9) Moehler (11–7) 15,158 80–69
150 September 16 @ Marlins 5–1 Volstad (5–3) Oswalt (15–10) 12,232 80–70
151 September 17 @ Marlins 2–14 Nolasco (15–7) Backe (9–13) 14,124 80–71
152 September 18 @ Marlins 1-8 Olsen (8-10) Arias (1-1) 14,219 80-72
153 September 19 @ Pirates 5-1 Wolf (11-12) Snell (6-12) 26,301 81-72
154 September 20 @ Pirates 4-6 Davis (2-4) Brian Moehler (11-8) Capps (20) 36,621 81-73
155 September 21 @ Pirates 6-2 Oswalt (16-10) Ohlendorf (1-4) 20,311 82-73
156 September 23 Reds 2-1 Volquez (17-6) Rodríguez (8–7) Cordero (34) 27,561 82-74
157 September 24 Reds 5-0 Wolf (12-12) Ramírez (1–1) 26,103 83-74
158 September 25 Reds 8-7 Oswalt (17-10) Cueto (9-14) José Valverde (43) 31,204 84-74
159 September 26 Braves 5-4 José Valverde (6-3) Tavárez (1-5) 33,477 85-74
160 September 27 Braves 5-11 Vladimir Núñez (1-2) Backe (9-14) 37,491 85-75
161 September 28 Braves 3-1 Rodríguez (9-7) Hampton (3-4) José Valverde (44) 37,113 86-75
*At Miller Park in Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Player stats

Batting

Starters by position

Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in

Pos Player G AB H Avg. HR RBI
C Brad Ausmus 81 216 47 .218 3 24
1B Lance Berkman 159 554 173 .312 29 106
2B Kazuo Matsui 96 375 110 .293 6 33
SS Miguel Tejada 158 632 179 .283 13 66
3B Ty Wigginton 111 386 110 .285 23 58
LF Carlos Lee 115 436 137 .314 28 100
CF Michael Bourn 138 467 107 .229 5 29
RF Hunter Pence 157 595 160 .269 25 83

Other batters

Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in

Player G AB H Avg. HR RBI
Geoff Blum 114 325 78 .240 14 53
Darin Erstad 140 322 89 .276 4 31
Mark Loretta 101 261 73 .280 4 38
Humberto Quintero 59 168 38 .226 2 12
J. R. Towles 54 146 20 .137 4 16
David Newhan 64 104 27 .260 2 12
Reggie Abercrombie 34 55 17 .309 2 5
José Cruz Jr. 38 49 6 .122 0 1
José Castillo 15 32 9 .281 0 2
Mark Saccomanno 10 10 2 .200 1 2
Tomás Pérez 8 10 2 .200 0 0
Edwin Maysonet 7 7 1 .143 0 0
J.R. House 3 3 0 .000 0 1

Pitching

Starting pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

Player G IP W L ERA SO
Roy Oswalt 32 208.2 17 10 3.54 165
Brandon Backe 31 166.2 9 14 6.05 127
Brian Moehler 31 150.0 11 8 4.56 82
Wandy Rodríguez 25 137.1 9 7 3.54 131
Shawn Chacón 15 85.2 2 3 5.04 53
Randy Wolf 12 70.2 6 2 3.57 57
Runelvys Hernández 4 19.1 0 3 8.38 15

Other pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

Player G IP W L ERA SO
Chris Sampson 54 117.1 6 4 4.22 61
Jack Cassel 9 30.1 1 1 5.64 14
Alberto Árias 3 8.0 1 1 6.75 8

Relief pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

Player G W L SV ERA SO
José Valverde 74 6 3 44 3.38 83
Doug Brocail 72 7 5 2 3.93 64
Wesley Wright 71 4 3 1 5.01 57
Tim Byrdak 59 2 1 0 3.90 47
Geoff Geary 55 2 3 0 2.53 45
Óscar Villarreal 35 1 3 0 5.02 21
Dave Borkowski 26 0 2 0 7.50 24
LaTroy Hawkins 24 2 0 1 0.43 25
Fernando Nieve 11 0 1 0 8.44 12
Chad Paronto 6 0 1 0 4.35 4

Awards and achievements

Grand slams

No. Date Astros batter Venue Inning Pitcher Opposing team Box
1 July 29 Carlos Lee Minute Maid Park 5 Bronson Arroyo Cincinnati Reds [12]

Career honors

Craig
Biggio
C, 2B
 
Retired August 17, 2008

Annual awards

League leaders

NL fielding leaders[43]

Minor league system

See also: Minor League Baseball
Level Team League Manager
AAA Round Rock Express Pacific Coast League Dave Clark
AA Corpus Christi Hooks Texas League Luis Pujols
A Salem Avalanche Carolina League Jim Pankovits
A Lexington Legends South Atlantic League Gregg Langbehn
A-Short Season Tri-City ValleyCats New York–Penn League Pete Rancont
Rookie Greeneville Astros Appalachian League Rodney Linares

See also

Notes

  1. ^ By contrast, in 1997, Biggio played the first 162-game season (no games missed) in the Major Leagues without having grounded into any double plays.
  2. ^ Co-winner with Johan Santana of the New York Mets.
  3. ^ Co-winner with Andre Ethier of the Los Angeles Dodgers.
  1. ^ Saccomano became the fourth Houston Astro to hit a home in his first major league plate appearance. He was preceded by Charlton Jimerson on September 4, 2006, and succeeded by Zach Cole on September 12, 2025.
  2. ^ Played for the Houston Astros from 1969–1973, 1978, and 1979.

References

  1. ^ "The Official Site of The Houston Astros: Official Info: Astros acquire Bourn, Costanzo, Geary from Philadelphia". Archived from the original on February 25, 2012. Retrieved February 3, 2009.
  2. ^ 9news.com Wolf, Jeffrey November 30, 2007
  3. ^ "Houston Astros (0) vs San Diego Padres (4) box score". Baseball Almanac. March 31, 2008. Retrieved September 24, 2025.
  4. ^ "2008 Houston Astros uniform numbers". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 24, 2025.
  5. ^ Schwartzberg, Seth (May 11, 2025). "Today in Astros history - May 11". The Crawfish Boxes. SB Nation. Retrieved September 22, 2025.
  6. ^ "Houston Astros (8) vs Los Angeles Dodgers (5) box score". Baseball-Reference.com. May 11, 2008. Retrieved September 22, 2025.
  7. ^ Schwartzberg, Seth (May 14, 2025). "Today in Astros history - May 14". The Crawfish Boxes. SB Nation. Retrieved September 6, 2025.
  8. ^ Schwartzberg, Seth (May 23, 2025). "Today in Astros history - May 23". The Crawfish Boxes. SB Nation. Retrieved August 10, 2025.
  9. ^ Schwartzberg, Seth (May 27, 2025). "Today in Astros history - May 27". The Crawfish Boxes. SB Nation. Retrieved July 29, 2025.
  10. ^ Schwartzberg, Seth (June 25, 2025). "Today in Astros history - June 25". The Crawfish Boxes. SB Nation. Retrieved June 25, 2025.
  11. ^ "Carlos Lee career home runs". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved November 17, 2025.
  12. ^ a b "Cincinnati Reds vs (2) Houston Astros (6) box score". Baseball-Reference.com. July 29, 2008. Retrieved December 9, 2025.
  13. ^ "Wesley Wright 2008 pitching game logs". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved December 9, 2025.
  14. ^ a b "Top performances for Brandon Backe". Retrosheet. Retrieved January 18, 2026.
  15. ^ "Houston Astros (4) vs Chicago Cubs (11) box score". Baseball-Reference.com. August 6, 2008. Retrieved January 18, 2026.
  16. ^ a b "2008 Houston Astros schedule". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved January 18, 2026.
  17. ^ "Houston Astros (7) vs Cincinnati Reds (4) box score". Baseball-Reference.com. August 7, 2008. Retrieved January 18, 2026.
  18. ^ Hulsey, Bob. "This date in Astros history". Astros Daily. Retrieved September 6, 2025.
  19. ^ a b "MLB Players of the Week Awards". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved August 10, 2025.
  20. ^ Elledge, Joseph. "Carlos Lee". Society for American Baseball Research (SABR). Retrieved December 7, 2025.
  21. ^ "MLB grand slam records". Baseball Almanac. Retrieved January 18, 2026.
  22. ^ "Arizona Diamondbacks (11) vs Houston Astros (5) box score". Baseball-Reference.com. August 16, 2008. Retrieved January 18, 2026.
  23. ^ a b McTaggart, Brian (February 4, 2025). "Astros' all-time retired numbers". MLB.com. Retrieved September 24, 2025.
  24. ^ "Lance Berkman stats, height, weight, research & history". Baseball Almanac. Retrieved February 14, 2026.
  25. ^ "Lance Berkman | batting event finder | 3 hits in 1999-2013—walk-off". Stathead. Sports Reference. Retrieved February 21, 2026.
  26. ^ "Home run with first pitch ever". Baseball Almanac. Retrieved September 16, 2025.
  27. ^ "Dazzling debuts: First at-bat home run highlights". Society for American Baseball Research (SABR). Retrieved September 16, 2025.
  28. ^ Duncan, Chris (September 11, 2008). "Bucs can't solve Astros' Oswalt". The Times. Associated Press. Retrieved September 24, 2025.
  29. ^ Radcliffe, JR (September 14, 2018). "Ten years ago, Carlos Zambrano threw a no-hitter at Miller Park. Do you consider it a 2008 highlight, lowlight or just ... meh?". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved October 4, 2025.
  30. ^ a b "R.D. de luto ante el fallecimiento de Jesús Rojas Alou". MLB.com (in Spanish). Prensa Escogido. March 10, 2023. Retrieved September 14, 2025.
  31. ^ "Houston Astros make playoffs for first time since 2005 - CBSSports.com". Archived from the original on October 5, 2015. Retrieved October 12, 2015.
  32. ^ "2008 National League team statistics". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved November 12, 2025.
  33. ^ "Houston Astros team history & encyclopedia". Baaseball-Reference.com. Retrieved November 6, 2025.
  34. ^ a b "Astros history – Timeline". MLB.com. Retrieved August 31, 2025.
  35. ^ "Yearly league leaders & records for doubles". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved October 19, 2025.
  36. ^ a b c d McTaggart, Brian (December 21, 2009). "Bourn highlights Astros' awards season". MLB.com. Archived from the original on December 8, 2010. Retrieved November 10, 2025.
  37. ^ "Grounding into double plays". Baseball Almanac. Retrieved February 20, 2026.
  38. ^ "Darryl Kile Award". Baseball Almanac. Retrieved July 21, 2025.
  39. ^ "Delivery Man of the Month Award". Baseball Almanac. Retrieved September 28, 2025.
  40. ^ Justice, Richard (July 19, 2008). "Longtime Chronicle reported Hohlfield dies at 56". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved November 12, 2025.
  41. ^ "Houston Astros Player of the Year". The Baseball Cube. Retrieved August 24, 2025.
  42. ^ "MLB Player of the Month Award". Baseball Almanac. Retrieved September 27, 2025.
  43. ^ "2008 National League fielding leaders". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved August 10, 2025.
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