FOX sure knows how to put out a spread. Taking over the broadcast of the game from JD and Brown they handed it to Mark “The Slump Buster”Grace and Kenny “Everyone’s Embarassed by Their Dad at Some Point, but I Bet Your Dad Just Said ‘Pull My Finger” A Lot” Albert.
Worrell Button was dusted off for this broadcast.
Berkman started the game slicing a pitch low and away that cleared the left field fence. Roy struck out the first two he faced and his fastball was jumping. They continued against Jair Jurrjens in the 2nd . Astros opened the inning with 2 singles then the Georgia sky opened up. In the downpour Ivan bounced into a dp, then Roy popped out and on came the tarp.
Rain delay 1 hour 37 minutes, trying to watch the whiny shenanigans of the Phillies-Mets game and the goings on at the Derby.
LaTroy Hawkins said of the delay, “I don’t know why they started the game. They knew the rain was coming.” Link
When the game resumed the Astros replaced Oswalt and the Braves had to send somebody else out for Jurrjens, HEY, do you think…. Nah, it’s the Braves, not the Cardinals. They wouldn’t do something like that.
The Astros sent out Paulino to start their parade of lock down relief. It didn’t start so good though. A double and a bunt single put runners on the corners with nobody out. But then Paulino K’d the next two batters. However, 4 straight balls, the last of which sailed way over Rodriguez’s head and the Braves pushed home the run from 3rd . Score tied 1-1. The next batter Ks looking.
There was some tomfoolery in the 3rd. With one on, the Braves Casey Kotchman popped a tweener to left. Lee came on but just at the last second you see him looking down towards Tejada and slowing, meanwhile Tejada is peeling off to his right, sticking his glove way out to his left in case he got lucky. The ball dropped. No harm as Paulino cleaned up the inning with a 6-4-3 grounder.
The 4th was the winning inning for the Astros. “Buddy” Carlyle pitching for the Braves, is it mandatory in White Trash Gooberville that all adult males retain their childhood names? Leading off, Carlos Lee rolls a single right up the middle. Tejada follows with a sharp grounder just to the left of Chippah, a sure dp. Jones gets his glove on it but can’t make the transfer, everybody safe. Pence follows this with a monumental atbat where he’s swinging at everything. “Swingerish” is how I thought of it. He fouls off about 6 pitches and finally shoots a grounder just past the 1b who gets a glove on the ball and Lee has to be happy standing at 3rd.
Blum then pops to short right and the Astros wisely choose not to test Francoeur.
Rodriguez, bucking the season trend of leaving men stranded bases loaded, raps a single to right, scoring one. Pinch hitter Erstad sac fly to left, and Matsui completes the scoring with a single up the middle that brings home Pence from 2nd. 4-1 Astros
Tim Byrdak, the lost Baldwin brother, comes on for the Astros and starts plowing through the lefties. He went 2.1 and was deemed the winner.
Sampson, who left the game after taking a hard grounder off his leg, (which now has turned into a deep bruise) Brocail and Hawkins all threw an inning or so of nothing at the Braves.
The Astros tacked on a run in the 9th, when Bourn, just as I’m reading Mark Grace’s commentary on how he’s slow on the fastball, creams a fastball to dead center for a triple scoring Rodriguez from 1st.