Giants at Astros, 8/11/08
Astros 3, Giants 1
W: Backe (7-11) L: Sanchez (8-9) S: Valverde (29)
Astros.com recap (Oliphant in for Footer – please don’t throw spitballs at the substitute.)
Boxscore
The Astros overcame 5 innings of no-hit ball and some Barker-esque baserunning to beat the lowly Giants 3-1, capping a triumphant march from craptitude to perfect mediocrity. [/pessimism]
The local kid done right on this Monday night, as Backe wisely went mostly fastball against a San Francisco lineup with (maybe) 2 or 3 legitimate major-league hitters. More importantly, Backe pounded the zone and avoided the type of slider nibbles at the corners that doomed his previous effort in Chicago.
Meanwhile, Ty Wigginton was plugged into left field and the 2-hole, and accounted for nearly all of the Astros’ offense; his 2-run single in the 6th plated Q and Backe, and he tacked on a solo shot in the 8th that cleared the Crawford Boxes, thus saving Tillman Fertitta $25. Private Pyle now boasts a .282/.363/.494 line on the season. His slugging percentage is 5th among regular MLB third basemen, trailing only Larry Wayne, A-Rod, David Wright, and Desperate Housewife Eva Longoria. Any day now, the talk radio mouth breathers might stop their whining about the Wheeler deal.
LaTroy Hawkins recoded another 1-2-3 inning with 2 strikeouts, and nobody at ESPN saw fit to bitch about the trade this time.
Astros try to venture into the fabled Land of the Winning Record tonight at 7:05 PM; Oswalt and Lincecum face off, so the game should be over in plenty of time for the live Olympics coverage.
Read the lovingly detailed GameZone.
Discuss the lack of a legitimate newpaper in the nation’s 4th largest city in the TalkZone.