Playing before 22,431 (that?s 39.1% full) squatting ghouls in their slimy limbo of brutish ugliness, the Astros pitchers and some defense, and?. (crickets chirping) , showed up. Rocket went 7, gave up 2 hits, and struck out 9, looking mean, sharp and pumped. Wingman pitched 2 excellent innings of 1 hit ball.
The General and MoBerg each made excellent plays on the only two hard struck balls the steM managed all night.
Not that the Astros didn?t try to open the door for the runnin? steM. PigPen played a no-hopper for his second error of the season and avoided his third as he was given a gift when he short armed a skimmer to first that the Gimp was unable to save and the play was ruled an infield hit. Fortunately, Anderson was quickly called out on a Qualls pick off which replays clearly show Bagwell actually touching himself and no where near Anderson.
Ishii pitched a fine game, in 7 innings, gave up 2 hits, struck out 5 and walked only 2 as he was able to adjust to plate umpire Paul Nauret?s mystery strike zone. The Astros offense in regulation consisted largely of measuring the warning track in left with lazy fly balls.
In the 3rd, unbeknownst at the time, the Astros had their best chance to score a run. Speed (1x3) walked, stole second, bunted over by Clemens, standing on third and with one out, Ishii bounced the ball off the backstop straight back to Pussy Boy. That was the chance. Maximus (0x4) couldn?t put the ball in play and the GM (1x3) couldn?t come up with the clutch hit.
In the top the 9th, Looper hit Biggio on the right forearm. Biggio, trying to get out of the way, twitched his bat forward. As he was lying on the ground and the camera zoomed in on the growing knot on his arm, the steM scum were filling their air bladders with their own fetid gases so that they could boo as Biggio trotted to second. They thought he had swung.
If pure will, hatred, and a real mean look (not to mention laser teeth whitening) could score a run and win a game, Biggio would have streaked around the bases then and there. Alas, he died at second, and we had to look at this rancid stink hole of a stadium for two more innings
In the 10th, the Astros loaded the bases, and with 2 outs Hot Plate in his only atbat, got played like an accordian, by Looper, up and in, down and away, K on the rook.
Dot pitched too well to deserve the loss on Reyes? slow motion up the middle 3 hopper that scored Diaz from 2nd.
The Wonder goes against Zambrano tomorrow at 6:10 as the Astros try to drag a win out of this swamp.
