He battled once again, made big pitches in key situations. Rick will get more comfortable as he gets out there more and gains confidence and trust in his stuff. On Saturday, he received a warm ovation from the Busch Stadium crowd. I do hear them and appreciate their support. The Astros, who won three straight Central Division titles from 1997-99 but finished last in 2000, have won eight of their first 11 games.
Nobody here thinks any different.
A bout of wildness cost Ankiel in the second inning. He walked Truby and Brad Ausmus to start the inning and the runners advanced on a wild pitch. After a walk to Glen Barker loaded the bases, Ankiel hit Elarton with a pitch to force in a run. But Ankiel escaped further damage when Ausmus was thrown out at home on a fielder's choice grounder by Julio Lugo, Craig Biggio flied out to right and Jeff Bagwell grounded out. Truby homered to left with two outs in the third to tie the game at 2-2.