The Astros got 3 hits and had a chance to put away Harang in the 1st. Lamb erased Biggio?s lead off single with a dp grounder. Berkman followed with a base hit and then Scott tripled past a diving Freel into left center. One day that guy is going to break something, either himself or the furniture. Huff followed with a pop up so only one run scored.
Matt Albers got the start today, Andy was at the ?horse pistol? with his Dad who was having a procedure done on his heart. He?ll start Thursday. Andy, not his Dad.
The Reds got that back and more almost immediately in the top the 2nd. Denorfia, in a Rose looking crouch, jumped on a breaking ball and lined a 2 run homer into the Boxes.
Berkman started the 4th with a double. Scott flied to center and Elvis challenged Freel?s arm, the throw was off line and he made 3rd easy. Huff followed with a shallow fly to left, Dunn made an off target throw but Berkman had pulled up half way and eventually got doubled up in the pickle. Why go half way?
Top the 5th started with 2 grounders for singles. Harang bunted hard at Lamb who could have had the slow running LaRue at 2nd, and a possible dp, but he went to the easy play at 1st. Ryan Freel popped a seeing eye double to the chalk in left. Scoring 2. Dunn followed with another double, making the score 5-1.
But then, in the bottom of the 5th, the Astros started a comeback with homers. Everett cracked a Boxer and Quintero just missed one to the left of the painted line by the visitors bullpen. Think Jason Lane in the WS, only a foot to the left.
Chris Sampson replaced Albers who didn?t pitch poorly. However Sampson pitched great. 3 innings, no base runners, struck out the side in the 7th.
This gave the Astros a chance to continue the comeback. Scott dropped a looping 0-1 curve way up in right. 5-3.
The defense was flashing too. In the 8th, Berkman laid out to his right to cut off a single. Scott dove for a sinking liner to rob Dunn and Lamb completed the inning scooping up a short hop.
The bottom of the 8th, with 2 outs, Lamb got a broken bat grounder past Olmedo at 2nd. Schoenweis relieves Harang, seen enough of that Jose Ferrer looking sumbitch, to turn Berkman around and throws 5 pitches for a perfunctory walk. Luke Scott then doubles down the left field line, scoring one. Runners 2nd and 3rd, Huff gets plunked. Bases loaded for Chris Burke. David Weathers comes on, gets down 2-0, throws a slider that Burke pops up to center.
Weathers worked the 9th 1-2-3 around an Arnold Ziffle BB. "The chores!"
Clemens, could be his last start in Houston, really, not kidding, could be, last chance, get a ticket while you can?.1:05.
