Clinched: Astros headed to playoffs

From the AP via the Houston Chronicle:

The Houston Astros clinched the NL wild card on the final day of the regular season - just like they did last year.

Roy Oswalt became the first pitcher since 2001-02 with consecutive 20-win seasons, throwing six innings and driving in a run in a 6-4 victory today over the Chicago Cubs. The Astros, who completed a remarkable comeback from a miserable start of the season back into the playoffs.

The Astros, 15-30 after a loss to the Cubs on May 24, became the first team since the 1914 Boston Braves to make the playoffs after being as many as 15 games under .500 in the same season.

Houston (89-73) will play Atlanta in a rematch of last year's NL division series, won by the Astros in five games for their first postseason series victory. The Braves were 5-1 against Houston this season, including a four-game sweep in Atlanta, where Game 1 is Wednesday.

By winning their regular season finale, the Astros avoided a tie with Philadelphia for the wild card, and having to go on the road for a one-game tiebreaker. The Phillies (88-74) won 9-3 at Washington on Sunday to finish a game behind Houston.

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Okay, this is nice. Very nice. But I must admit that I'm kind of getting sick of the 'Stros making the playoffs, but not the World Series. Maybe this is their year. Of course, there's the Houston professional sports curse, broken only by the Rockets back in the 90s, with which they will have to contend, but I'm getting sick of that, too. Maybe this is their year.

Go Astros!

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