Ladies and gentlemen, your Houston Astros have finally achieved their first win for the 2010 season. This is also our very first post during this year. We’ll be honest with you, we were waiting for such a moment, with the only reason we wanted to put things for this club on its right proportion.

Brad Mills has his first Major League win as a manager, and the Astros can breathe a little bit slower (well, and we hope this music doesn’t become a trend at the clubhouse for a long time).

Bud Norris was simply remarkable, pitching one-run baseball off four hits, fanning nine; and he also helped himself with the lumber, driving in a run. This is the Bud Norris we have always heard of, the one we wanted to see.

Of course, this is not just a pitching matter. We have seen one too many times how a lack of offense is the big reason behind a loss, more so than any pitfalls on the mound. Michael Bourn and Jeff Keppinger are the only Astros batting above .300. Pedro Feliz, despite the fact he owns a .294 batting average, is the RBI leader in this franchise after 9 games with… 4. J.R. Towles has only one driven in, with a measly .056.

There’s a lot to be made yet, however, they had a sample today of what they’re capable of. They badly need lift Keppinger some heavy burdens off his shoulders. Carlos Lee should stop picking up his bats at the North Pole.

This pitching staff has been efficient enough, although not outstanding, with several acceptable outings. Roy Oswalt, despite the 0-2 record, has allowed 5 runs in 12 innings, with a 3.75 ERA, for example. Only Felipe Paulino (7.20) and Wandy Rodriguez (6.10) own somewhat alarming ERAs. They can turn this around though.

We are not saying this will be any easy. They are still one and eight. There’s plenty much yet to do, but we cannot write an epitaph for the 2010 Astros just yet.