Thursday, May 14, 2009
Astros 5
Rockies 3
W: Wandy (4-2) | L: Hammel (0-2) | Hawkins (5)
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Just Wandy.
In a wild top of the 1st, Garett Atkins must have wondered why he got out of bed. 2 straight bunts his direction by Matsui and Bourn led to 1st and 3nd with no outs. Matsui’s was a tough play and Atkins threw wide of 1st to allow Kaz to reach 2nd. Bourn’s was nearly identical to Kaz and he reached easily. Twinkie up and JD suggested he lay down another one towards 3rd. Instead, he hit a sharp grounder to Atkins who bobbled, then threw too late to 1st to get Lance and Kaz scored. E5. Lee served up what looked like a double play ball to Barmes who got it to Stewart to get Lance but his throw to 1st pulled Helton off the bag and there’s 1st and 3rd with 1 out. With a full count on Miggy, he Kd swinging while Lee fired the afterburners towards 2nd. The throw was late and Stewart had no chance to get Bourn racing home on the double steal. 2-0 Astros. PENCE!!! then drilled a sharp single to center and Lee rounded 3rd and chugged home ahead of the throw while Hunter strolled into 2nd. The inning ended on Pudge’s bat-slinging K.
Gettin' it done.
The Good Guys spotted Wandy 3 and he ran with it. He did a great job of spotting his pitches, including his bender and ended up striking out 11, the most in his career as Wandy. Michael Bourn went 4 for 5 with 2 steals and 2 runs scored, including a run on a Tejada sac fly in the 3rd to give the Astros a 4-0 lead. They almost added one more on a double to the wall by Beaker with Lee on 1st. Kabong! chugged and chugged and made it in time but a great job of blocking the plate by Torrealba got him. Tests showed that overall oxygen levels in the immediate area dropped 6.7% as Lee tried to catch his breath.
Wandy had his trouble, though. In the 4th, he fielded a bunt by Barmes and made a good throw to Berkman that skiped off his glove and rolled to the wall along the RF line. 3 base error. Seemingly rattled, Wandy gave up a double(?) to Helton to get the Rox on the board. Then after a visit to the mound by Dewey, Wandy got a K from Murton but then gave up an RBI double to Hawpe over the head of Bourn, 4-2 now with 1 on and 1 out. Next, and RBI single by Atkins scored Hawpe but Atkins got greedy and Pudge gunned him at 2nd. A Torrealba K stopped the bleeding with the score at a tight 4-3 Astros.
Wandy shook that off and cruised another 3 perfect, including a strikeout of the side in the 5th. Coop yanked him after 7 and 113 pitches. Lee gave the boys a bit of a cushion with a solo jack, first pitch crushed to left. 5-3 Astros. Sampson pitched a perfect 8th, then Hawk came in to finish it up. Despite a 2-out walk to bring up the tying run, LaTroy got the game-ending K from Hawpe and the Astros got the road series victory.
The fucking, fuckity-fuck, Fuck-The-Cubs are next with 3 straight day tests in front of the drunks. Fuck ’em!