Astros 5, Reds 3
W: Lyles (1-1)
L: Arroyo (2-4)
It took them the better part of two weeks, but the Astros finally put together a game that was enjoyable to watch on their way to snapping an eight-game losing streak. Lyles, inserted into the rotation at least for the near future, wasn’t dominant but flashed some good pitches and better tenacity on the mound, limiting the Dickities to two runs on five hits while striking out three. The big blow for the Skyline Bunch was the two-run homer launched into the Crawford Boxes by Cozart in the third inning.
The Astros battled back to take the lead in the fourth and put it out of reach in the seventh with Maxwell’s third pinch-hit home run of the season, a blast over the train tracks that made it 5-2.
Lopez scuffled through the eighth, careening through one near-disaster after another, and when he got Votto to hit a 400′ sac fly to Schafer, the deal was sealed.
The top four in the home order went 1 for 15 today, with four strikeouts. It was the bottom of the lineup, more specifically #6-9, that carried the day. Wallace, up from OKC while Lee is on the DL, was 2 for 3 with a run scored; Castro was 2 for 3, scored once and drove one in; Marwin Gonzalez was a clutch 2 for 4 with one run scored and one driven in.
Take a trip down Memory Lane with us in the Game Zone if you’d like to relive it in more detail. It’s Christmas tomorrow, and maybe the Front Office won’t shoot their eye out. Tune in at 6 CT for the opening of the presents.
The reeling Jakes limp into town Tuesday, stinking of leftover pallets of Coconut Penis and Sex Panther cologne. Follow along in the GZ to see the real stars come out.