Carter powers Good Guys to 4-1 victory
WP: Norris (6-7)
LP: Hernandez (4-10)
SV: Veras (17)
Contributed by Sphinx Drummond
It’s getting kind of weird, the Astros suck, yet, on Wednesdays, they are 10 and 4. There is no explanation, I dare some unimaginative literalist to try. And don’t give me no crap about it is what it is. I’ll tell you what it is. It is Lucky Magic Wodan’s Day. The best damn baseball day of the week.
Chris Carter accounted for all four of the Astros’ RBIs by homering twice, his 16th and 17th of the year. Carter’s first home run snapped a 22 inning team scoring drought, it was the team’s first earned run in 31 innings. His second one was a decisive three run shot off the community leaders board that broke a 1-1 tie in the seventh inning and put the Astros up for good.
The victory snapped a five game losing skid.
Bud Norris, backed by three double plays, pitched seven strong innings for the win, his sixth against seven losses. He scattered 6 hits, walked three, and struck out 5, while allowing only one earned run. He was relieved in the eighth by Jose Cisnero who set the Rays down in order. Jose Veras pitched the ninth and made good on his 17th save out of 20 tries.
Rays pitcher Roberto Hernandez took his fourth loss in a row dropping his record to 4-10. He allowed four hits and three runs in six-plus innings before giving way to Jake McGee who came in to face Carter in the seventh. Carter worked the count full, then knocked a McGee fast ball out of the yard for the three run bomb.
The great Ben Zobrist drove in Tampa Bay’s only run with a sacrifice fly in the first. Houston kid, James Loney had two hits to extend his hitting streak to 14 games.
Thursday the Astros try to even the four game series with Jordan Lyles (4-3, 3.99 ERA) going against Chris Archer (2-3, 4.40 ERA) in a Holiday Matinee game that starts at 1:10.
Attendance: 14,143
Weather: 73 degrees, roof closed.
Time: 2:45