Sunday Insider: Short hops

By JOE CHRISTENSEN, Star Tribune

Last update: September 13, 2008 - 11:28 PM

Astros made right midseason call

After getting ridiculed for not selling off parts at midseason, when nobody else thought they could contend, the Astros are on a 47-27 tear.

Instead of trading away players, they added Randy Wolf and LaTroy Hawkins. Sure enough, they are 8-1 in Wolf's starts and Hawkins has yet to allow a run for Houston in 13 innings.

Also, Roy Oswalt is 8-1 with a 1.94 ERA in the second half.

Brewers feeling pressure

Houston's climb has Milwaukee sweating bullets. The Brewers went 3-7 on their recent homestand, as Ryan Braun batted .250, Prince Fielder .176 and Corey Hart .194. The 3-4-5 hitters combined for zero home runs and just five RBI.

Arizona's move backfired

The Diamondbacks made an aggressive move July 22, when they acquired Jon Rauch from Washington for prospect Emilio Bonifacio. Arizona figured Rauch could handle the eighth inning this year and maybe even close next season.

But this week, Rauch fell to 0-5 with a 6.41 ERA since the trade. Meanwhile, Bonifacio is Washington's everyday second baseman.

Livan dropped from rotation

The Rockies dropped former Twin Livan Hernandez from their starting rotation this week after he averaged 16.8 baserunners per nine innings in six starts.