The Astros won their final spring tuneup Saturday, beating the Royals 6-4 at Minute Maid in Houston.
Taylor Buchholz continued to look sharp on the mound, pitching seven shutout innings. He managed to work himself out of two jams - one with the bases loaded in the 4th, and another jam in the 7th. He also struck out the side in the 5th and retired eight in a row at one point.
The Astros jumped out to a 4-0 lead after three innings, thanks in part to a two-run double by Willy Taveras. Another double off the LF wall scored Chris Burke from second to make the lead 5-0. Eric Munson continued to make some noise of his own as well, launching his team-leading 5th solo homer of the spring in the bottom of the 6th.
Fernando Nieve struggled with his control in the top of the 8th, breaking the shutout and allowing four runs to cross the plate. But a nice diving play by Chris Burke at second base prevented further damage. The Astros got a double play with one out in the 9th to seal the victory.
The team has Sunday off, and will then invite the Marlins to town for the start of the 2006 season. Roy Oswalt, looking for his third straight 20-win season, will take the mound against fellow 20-game winner Dontrelle Willis. First pitch will be 6:05pm CDT. TV coverage is provided on FSN.
