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I don't think I've ever seen a team play 14 innings and get two hits over an 11-inning stretch (both by the same player, Jason Lane) like the Houston Astros did in Game 3 of the World Series. The White Sox gave the Astros a lot of help by walking the leadoff hitter several times; but even then Houston never advanced the runner either by a sacrifice or a hit-and-run. It just shows that situational hitting is a lost art. Teams that understand that are the ones that play more consistent baseball. There were times in Game 3 where it appeared Houston was still trying to hit home runs when a single or ground ball would have sufficed.

Playing at home, I was surprised how ineffective Houston was offensively. You would never figure any team would be that bad. The Astros got to Chicago starter Jon Garland early in the game. When the Astros got ahead 3-0, I thought they just needed to tack a run on here and one there and they'd be OK, because you knew Chicago was eventually going to make a run.

The Astros did tack on that one run to make it 4-0, but I've always said a four-run lead was right on the cusp of being safe. A five-run lead is safe because a grand slam can't tie the game. My former teammate with the Astros and Reds, pitcher Jack Billingham, used to say, 'Get me five and we'll fly.' With Roy Oswalt on the mound, I thought a 4-0 lead was enough, but a five-run lead is a safety net because the opposing team can't tie the game with one swing of the bat.

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