Righty Backe focusing on bigger picture
03/07/2006
KISSIMMEE, Fla. -- Ask Phil Garner about the Houston Astros starting rotation, and the first thing the skipper will mention is his desire for Brandon Backe to have a breakout year.
Backe finding success as the No. 3 starter isn't just a desire. It's more or less a necessity, and how he fares this year will likely affect on which side of .500 the Astros finish.
It's not just up to him, of course. But barring injury, Roy Oswalt and Andy Pettitte are virtual locks to record winning records. If Backe can record double digits in wins -- and that means a number closer to 15 than to 10 -- that could make the Astros' rotation, somewhat suspect without Roger Clemens, as good as the one that led the club to the World Series last year.
"I want him to be in that 15 [win] range and in that nine-loss range," Garner said. "I want to see him six, seven games above .500."
How important is it for Backe to have a good year? In Garner's opinion, it's "critical."
"If you're going to win, your first three starters have to be above .500, or, if your third starter's not, then the bullpen has to pick up the wins," Garner said. "If the third starter and fourth starters aren't better than .500 and you win, then you're looking at the bullpen, and someone is 10, 12 games above .500. That's the way it has to be."
The Astros' bullpen should be a strength of the club this year, but Garner would rather not have to count on his relievers absorbing a bulk of the wins. That's how it was in 2004, when Oswalt and Clemens were the only two proven, reliable starters. It worked out well, but odds are against them that lightning could strike twice in that regard.
Last year, Oswalt, Pettitte and Clemens were one of the top -- if not the top -- trios in the league. Assuming Backe has a solid year (with a Rocket return looming in the background), the Astros will be in good shape.
Especially if they can win the old-fashioned way, instead of having to piece it together.
"We really weren't a strong come-from-behind team last year," Garner said. "Maybe it'll be different this year. I think our offense will be better, but I prefer our starters get the lead, keep the lead and then we turn it over to the bullpen with the lead."
Most higher-ups in Astros ranks believe that given a full, healthy season of close to 35 starts, Backe would benefit from consistency alone. He appeared to be on track last year before missing a month with a strained intercostal muscle. Still, he recorded career highs in wins (10), innings (149 1/3), starts (25) and strikeouts (97).
He also loves pitching at Minute Maid Park -- in two seasons with the Astros, he's 10-3 at home with a 3.12 ERA. But it's his postseason performance that has raised overall expectations. He allowed one earned run over 12 2/3 innings during the League Championship Series and World Series last year. That comes on the heels, of course, of his heroic performance during Game 5 of the 2004 NLCS, when he held the Cardinals scoreless for eight in a game the Astros won on Jeff Kent's walkoff home run.
Now, it's time to transition that postseason success into solid performances over a six-month period.
"I just want to take what I learned from last year, and make it better this year," Backe said. "I just want to become a better pitcher this year. Just work on things that need to be done, and I'm sure everything will pan out to be good or great or whatever the case may be.
"Yes, I know that this could be a big year for me. But at the same token, I don't want me thinking about that to hurt my season."
Backe's made progress over the years. Without having the burden of trying to make the club out of Spring Training in 2005, he added a changeup to his arsenal and spent much of the Grapefruit League testing it in an atmosphere that bears no consequence. This spring, he has simplified things, working to master all of his pitches.
"Now that I have a feel and am very comfortable with throwing the changeup, now it's just basically getting repetition with all my pitches," he said. "Instead of working on one pitch more than the others, I'll work on all four of them to just be perfect with each and every pitch. Instead of having location and a 20-inch diameter, I'll try to shrink it down to 10. That's just basically what it boils down to."
As for this year's expectations, Backe prefers to focus on the big picture.
"I just want to win, that's all there is to it," he said. "Regardless of if I get the win or not, if I just give my team the opportunity to win the ballgame, whether it's a 2-2 game and I pitch seven innings, or it's 5-5 and I've only pitched five. Regardless of my numbers, as long as the game's going the way the team's going to come out on top, that's all I care about."
Source: http://houston.astros.mlb.com/
KISSIMMEE, Fla. -- Ask Phil Garner about the Houston Astros starting rotation, and the first thing the skipper will mention is his desire for Brandon Backe to have a breakout year.
Backe finding success as the No. 3 starter isn't just a desire. It's more or less a necessity, and how he fares this year will likely affect on which side of .500 the Astros finish.
It's not just up to him, of course. But barring injury, Roy Oswalt and Andy Pettitte are virtual locks to record winning records. If Backe can record double digits in wins -- and that means a number closer to 15 than to 10 -- that could make the Astros' rotation, somewhat suspect without Roger Clemens, as good as the one that led the club to the World Series last year.
"I want him to be in that 15 [win] range and in that nine-loss range," Garner said. "I want to see him six, seven games above .500."
How important is it for Backe to have a good year? In Garner's opinion, it's "critical."
"If you're going to win, your first three starters have to be above .500, or, if your third starter's not, then the bullpen has to pick up the wins," Garner said. "If the third starter and fourth starters aren't better than .500 and you win, then you're looking at the bullpen, and someone is 10, 12 games above .500. That's the way it has to be."
The Astros' bullpen should be a strength of the club this year, but Garner would rather not have to count on his relievers absorbing a bulk of the wins. That's how it was in 2004, when Oswalt and Clemens were the only two proven, reliable starters. It worked out well, but odds are against them that lightning could strike twice in that regard.
Last year, Oswalt, Pettitte and Clemens were one of the top -- if not the top -- trios in the league. Assuming Backe has a solid year (with a Rocket return looming in the background), the Astros will be in good shape.
Especially if they can win the old-fashioned way, instead of having to piece it together.
"We really weren't a strong come-from-behind team last year," Garner said. "Maybe it'll be different this year. I think our offense will be better, but I prefer our starters get the lead, keep the lead and then we turn it over to the bullpen with the lead."
Most higher-ups in Astros ranks believe that given a full, healthy season of close to 35 starts, Backe would benefit from consistency alone. He appeared to be on track last year before missing a month with a strained intercostal muscle. Still, he recorded career highs in wins (10), innings (149 1/3), starts (25) and strikeouts (97).
He also loves pitching at Minute Maid Park -- in two seasons with the Astros, he's 10-3 at home with a 3.12 ERA. But it's his postseason performance that has raised overall expectations. He allowed one earned run over 12 2/3 innings during the League Championship Series and World Series last year. That comes on the heels, of course, of his heroic performance during Game 5 of the 2004 NLCS, when he held the Cardinals scoreless for eight in a game the Astros won on Jeff Kent's walkoff home run.
Now, it's time to transition that postseason success into solid performances over a six-month period.
"I just want to take what I learned from last year, and make it better this year," Backe said. "I just want to become a better pitcher this year. Just work on things that need to be done, and I'm sure everything will pan out to be good or great or whatever the case may be.
"Yes, I know that this could be a big year for me. But at the same token, I don't want me thinking about that to hurt my season."
Backe's made progress over the years. Without having the burden of trying to make the club out of Spring Training in 2005, he added a changeup to his arsenal and spent much of the Grapefruit League testing it in an atmosphere that bears no consequence. This spring, he has simplified things, working to master all of his pitches.
"Now that I have a feel and am very comfortable with throwing the changeup, now it's just basically getting repetition with all my pitches," he said. "Instead of working on one pitch more than the others, I'll work on all four of them to just be perfect with each and every pitch. Instead of having location and a 20-inch diameter, I'll try to shrink it down to 10. That's just basically what it boils down to."
As for this year's expectations, Backe prefers to focus on the big picture.
"I just want to win, that's all there is to it," he said. "Regardless of if I get the win or not, if I just give my team the opportunity to win the ballgame, whether it's a 2-2 game and I pitch seven innings, or it's 5-5 and I've only pitched five. Regardless of my numbers, as long as the game's going the way the team's going to come out on top, that's all I care about."
Source: http://houston.astros.mlb.com/
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