Jack Cassel, Reggie Abercrombie, David Newhan, Jose Castillo, Mark Loretta. When a player goes down, other players step up. Yesterday it was Wigginton, today we heard that Backe would miss his next start because of an elbow twinge during his bullpen, and Wandy Rodriguez didn’t make it past the first because of a reoccurrence of the oblique injury. No matter, no one cares, they just went out and played.
After squandering scoring opportunities in the 1st and 2nd, the Astros broke through for 3 runs in the 3rd. Cassel gave back 2 in the bottom of the inning, even the sac bunt was hit hard. Bourn, part of the fastest outfield unit ever, Abercrombie in left, Bourn in center, Pence in right, ran and got a long fly over his head to save the inning.
Cassel calmed down after that. He found some movement on his breaking pitches and made it to the 5th.
The Astros tacked on a run in the 6th. Abercrombie walked, and with Ausmus swinging, he took off for 2nd. Brad looped a single to the line in right, as Abercrombie approached 2nd, JD said the Rockies deked him. They didn’t show a replay but Abercrombie could have probably scored on the high blooper, especially since the relay hit Brad on the butt as he returned to 1st. Blum saved the run with a pinchhit sac fly. When Abercrombie reached the dugout Cooper called him over to talk, probably about the baserunning.
But Chris Sampson, in relief in the bottom of the 6th, gave up a 3 run homer about as fast as it is possible to give up a 3 run homer, single, walk, boom.
With the score 5-4 going into the 7th , the Astros tried to manufacture a run. Loretta singled to lead off the inning, his 3rd hit of the game. Maysonet came in to pinch run. Tejada tried to bunt for a single but recorded a sac. Maysonet took tenuous possession of 2nd and almost got picked off. Berkman walked and Pence rapped a hard grounder right through the middle, but Tulowitski made a diving stop and flip to start the threat ending dp.
Payoff came in the 8th. Castillo singled, Abercrombie bunted him over, then Erstad cracked a pinch hit bloop single to right. Castillo scored easily as Hawpe’s throw to the cutoff bounced in the infield dirt. Then another pinch hitter David Newhan rifled a line drive to the left of the centerfielder that went to the wall. Erstad scored and Newhan slid into 3rd with a triple. The Astros were up 6-5. The Rockies pulled the infield in, Bourn lined right at the 1b and Maysonet, in his first plate appearance, popped out to shallow right.
Hawkins came in and threw bbs. Weaving fastballs through the striated shadows created by the light grids over home. The Astros added another run in the 9th. With 2 outs, Pence beat out another infield single to the right of the shortstop. Stole second. Castillo singled him home.
Valverde, on 4 days rest, came in for the save. Flinging strikes, he looked like he was whizzing flat rocks over a pond. He made things interesting though, he gave up a one out single. But, but 97, 98, mph fastballs through the shadows, and whatever that thing was he threw to Taveras, 98 and straight down, blew the Rockies away as he struck out the side.