Astros at Trolley Dodgers, 5/17/2010
Dodgers 6, Astros 2
W: Ely (2-1) L: Rodriguez (2-5)
This one was basically over in the first, as second base umpire Phil Cuzzi blew a call on a force play that opened the flodgates for a 3-run first off of Mad Eny: The Road Wandyor. Two notes on this play: first, I’m amazed that Scully blew the description of this, thinking that Cuzzi was saying Ramirez beat the throw, when Cuzzi clearly signaled that Keppinger came off the bag; second, it just goes to show you what happens when you get desperate for offense. Manzella makes that play much more easily.
Desperate for offense, did I say? Of course. This is why your hometown Houston Astros, with above-average pitching, are headed for their worst record ever, nearly a quarter of the way home. The first inning got the Good Guys ahead on a Bourn single, move to second on a grounder to third, and home on a Berkman single. Just how the whole shebang was drawn up in spring training. Unfortunately, those were two of their six hits on the night; two more came from Pence! and Feliz in the fifth – mix in a WP in the middle, and you’ve got yourself a second run.
It stayed close until the eighth, when Lyon gave up a two-run triple to Blake DeWitt to ice it at 6-2, but this was largely irrelevant as the Astros continued to wither on offense. Six hits, no walks, no hope.
Bud Norris takes the hill tonight and will hopefully be brainwashed into thinking he’s facing the Cardinals again.