Meanwhile, Wandy Rodriguez finally pitches a really good game. And gets vultured by Lyon.
ASTROS 2, BREWERS 1
Saturday April 30, 2011
MMPUS
HOUSTON (SnS) — In a close contest, the Houston Astros held on long enough to defeat the scary Milwaukee Brewers here Saturday night, 2-1. In a rare night of dominance by starting pitchers, lefties Wandy Rodriguez and former Astro Randy Wolf hooked up in what turned out to be a classic duel.
The Astros scored quickly in the bottom of the first, when Jason Bourgeois, batting in the #2 slot this evening in a rare start, got an infield single, then stole second base. Then third. Then scored on a Hunter Pence grounder botched by Brewer third sacker McGehee.
And that was it. Wandy was carving up the Brewers with a curve ball that was fucking curving, on this night. And the Brewer’s Wolf man jacked with the Astros bats, and if anything, looked even better than Wandy-Rod.
It was a scenario that should have engendered tenseness, but somehow didn’t, really. Maybe we were all still hungover from the spectacle of the Royal Wedding, held the day before in London. You know, Will & Kate and all those guys in red sport coats and fur helmets and stuff. That’s probably it.
I still don’t really get it, but I probably would were I a Brit. I did watch some of the coverage, though. It was hard not to. I thought it was funny to see otherwise somber, accredited news anchors actually gush over the pomp and circumstance of it all. I literally saw Diane Sawyer get a strained credulity by segueing directly from hushed, maudlin somberness while discussing the weather-related devastation in northern Alabama to effusive, light-headed gushing after switching to the gaeity and ceremony going on in London Town.
I don’t mean to make light of the ceremony itself. Will & Kate seem like decent people and earnest future rulers, and I wish them well. I just thought the celebration was a little over the top. Or, as my brother said, “It’s a good deal anytime the Windsors bring some diversity into the bloodline.” Quite.
Meantime, Wandy had run up his pitch count after eight innings of diffusing the several potential explosives littered throughout the Milwaukee batting order; for the top of the ninth, manager Brad Mills brought in righty Brandon Lyon to close out the game; but he would be facing the meat of the Brewers order. After retiring slugger Ryan Braun, Lyon gave up a towering home run to Prince Fielder, tying the score and blowing the save. Lyon was able to get himself together and retire the side without further damage, but I was thinking, Oh great, extra innings . . . and the now-demoralized Astros and their iffy bullpen will probably blow this game sooner rather than later.
Thankfully, that scenario was averted. The Brewers went to their iffy bullpen and called in some guy named Lowe, a Rangers and Japanese League reject. After retiring Towlie the Klown and pinch-hitter Bugosevic in quick succession to start off the ninth, Lowe lost his control, walking a pinch-hitting Brett Wallace (pinch run for by Bill Hall) and Michael Bourne in succession. Then gave up a sharp single to left to Bourgeois (3-for-5 with a double and two steals), sending Hall home from second with the game-winner.
Hopefully by the time of the next Royal Wedding, the Astros bullpen will have worked out some of the kinks, and the offense will have become more consistent about scoring runs. Probably not, though.
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