Rookie starter Fernando Nieve pitched into the eight inning and struck out nine in leading the Astros to a 7-2 win in game two of the four game weekend series against the Braves. Nieve allowed only a two-run home run by Andruw Jones, shutting down the Braves after falling behind 2-0 after the first inning. He gave up only three singles the rest of the way, all by catcher Bruce McCann, after Jones took him deep.
“I tried to forget the hit and start working again,” Nieve said. “I was so happy we were able to win.”
The Braves didn’t have the lead for long. Craig Biggio hit his 47th career leadoff homer in the bottom half and Mike Lamb went upper tank to make it back-to-back shots and tie the game 2-2.
The score remained tied until the fifth, when one out singles by Biggio and Lamb and a walk to Lance Berkman loaded the bases. Morgan Ensberg then lofted a high fly to left that just missed the Crawfords, scoring Biggio easily. Preston Wilson followed with a double into the left field corner, and scored on a single by Chris Burke . 6-2 Astros. Berkman had an RBI groundout in the sixth to made the score 7-2.
Nieve had a wicked slider working. “My location was very good, my slider was good,” Nieve said. “My fastball, the speed was up, and that made my slider work better.”
Lamb, batting second for the first time this year as manager Phil Garner tinkers with the lineup, went 3-3 with a walk and only a triple shy of a cycle. He just missed another dinger in the third after hitting the left center wall. “I knew I hit pretty good, it’s just quirky out there,” Lamb said. “I guess it was just bad aim. If I was any good, I would’ve known my field and hit it a little to the left.”
“The offensive production was very good,” Garner said. “We had people up and down the board that did a nice job.”
Chad Qualls finished the eighth and Russ Springer pitched the ninth to secure the victory.
The Astros have an afternoon game Saturday @ 3:05, prime time TV on the Fox mothership, Taylor Buchholz vs. Tim Hudson.