Astros 6, Brewers 5 (10 innings)
By Mr. (very) Happy

This game started off on a high note as the Astros scored twice in the first inning off of Marco Estrada, who was not very sharp tonight, tossing four frames and surrendering seven hits and four earnies. Tyler Greene made the most of his batting debut with the Astros, clubbing a game lead off double in the first inning, scoring on one of three hits for three RBIs for Steve Pearce on the night, and Greene had a key solo home run off of Agent Livan Hernandez in the fifth inning. Unfortunately, the Brewers knotted the game at two with two unearned runs in the second inning, taking advantage of a very shaky overall third base effort from Brett Wallace, who, in my opinion, simply can’t play down there. Third base is a place where you can either do it or you can’t. In my opinion, Wallace is in the latter category like the rest of us. In tonight’s GameZone, a denizen even expressed a yearning for days gone by with CJ at the hot corner.

In the bottom of the third, the Astros again took advantage of Estrada, plating two runs on three hits, including a triple from Pearce, who took full advantage of some wretched outfield play from Milwaukee in that inning. However, the Brewers again tied the game at four in the top of the fifth inning on a clutch two out double by Aoki. However, the Astros answered in the bottom of that frame on the Greene solo shot to put the Good Guys back up 5-4. Keuchel pitched very well tonight, striking out six in six innings and not walking a single hitter, thereby finishing in the “over” on my prediction of innings likely pitched (3.1), under on long balls surrendered (zippo) and way under on the free passes (nil). In fact, Keuchel also finished with some flair in his last inning, the sixth, starting an inning ending 1-4-3 twin killing.

The bully tonight was nothing short of fantastic, allowing one run on six hits in four innings with eight (count ’em eight!) strikeouts, including catching the Peen looking twice. The bully foursome (Fick, Wright, Storey and Lopez) held the lead until the top of the ninth, when Wilton Lopez, who, in my opinion, needs to throw a few more off-speed pitches to take away the rampant cheating on his fast stuff that was going on tonight, surrendered the tying run to send the game into extras, which hasn’t been the Astros’ strongsuit so far this season. In fact, the Astros hadn’t scored a single run in extra innings this season.

However, that would change in the tenth. The Astros loaded the sacks with nobody out for Scott Moore, who singled to left, taking full advantage of the Peen having been brought in as a sixth infielder (including the pitcher), scoring Altuve, who had three hits in five trips and scored three runs, with the game winner. This made a vulture winner out of Wilton Lopez, who now has won on two consecutive nights. The Astros have now won their first home series since sweeping the FTC way back in May.

Should the ballclub once again don the 90’s unis tomorrow and go for the broom against the Brewers? Absofuckinglutely!!! Don’t change a fucking thing!!! Don’t even wash those unis!!! The club is now once again within striking distance of .333 ball at 38-77. I realize that isn’t much solace, but look on the bright side: it could be a helluva lot worse.

Astros 4
Brewers 3

by NeilT

I watched a lot of Astros baseball last week. I watched most of the games on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday at home. On Thursday I went to the game. Thursday’s game was so exhausting. They couldn’t hit. The Nats could. It was just dreary. We left in the 9th inning to beat the traffic and there wasn’t any. I’ve never been so exhausted with baseball.

Last night I turned on the game. I was playing the guitar, working on Recuerdos de Alhambra, which is as melancholy as it gets, right up there with Pavane for a Dead Princess and Yesterday. It shouldn’t be played while watching this year’s Astros. I wasn’t paying much attention to the game and Kris wanted me to put onn a movie, so during the fifth we turned on Mirror, Mirror at our daughter’s suggestion. It wasn’t completely awful, maybe even kinda ok. It’s a twist on the Snow White tale, with the dwarves as highwaymen, the prince as pompous but likable, and Snow White as innocent but capable. Nathan Lane is the Queen’s assistant, not the queen, and Julia Roberts is the Queen.

But guess what? When I went to bed and checked the score, the Snow Whites had won, with a walk off, in the 9th. Never happened, you say, that’s a fairy tale, you say. Trust me though, it’s true.

In the first Nyjer Morgan got to first on lost ball on a strike out. Oh no, I say. The Brewers scored Morgan in the 1st on a Ryan (I did not have sex with that woman) Braun double, and Weeks scored on a wild pitch in the third. After I turned off the game Scott Moore scored the Astros’ first run on a Corporan single in the bottom of the fifth. Rickie Weeks scored the Brewers’ final run in the seventh on a Juan Segura single.

Pitching lines were good. Norris pitched 7, with 8 hits, 3 R, 7 strikeouts, and no walks. F. Rodriguez pitched the 8th, Lopez the 9th, both with no hits, no walks, 2 strikeouts.

Corporan homered on the first at bat in the 8th, and in the bottom of the 9th the princess kissed the frog and it turned into a prince. Wallace led off with a walk, Tyler Greene pinch ran. Greene stole second and advanced to third on the same play on a wild pitch. Pearce singled in Greene, and reached second on an error. Bogusevic singled in Pearce.

If you haven’t seen the game ending scrum, go here.

You’ll think it’s a fairy tale until you see it. The Astros will wear their Snow Whites again tonight, because, well, they won, so I think I’ll watch this. I don’t remember much about the movie, except there’s a nice version of Gaspar Sanz’s Canarios in the Gypsy scene.

Washington 5, Astros 0

by Mr. Happy

Given that tonight’s 5-0 whitewashing of the Home Nine by the Nationals was the eleventh time that the ball club has been shutout, it still doesn’t get any easier to take. Tonight’s winning pitcher, Jordan Zimmermann, served notice very early on that he was going to be virtually impossible to beat once staked to a two run lead, being able to thread the tiny needle that HPU Ed Hickox constructed for a strike zone.

As well as tonight’s losing pitcher, Lucas Harrell, pitched for his five frames and 100 pitches, the walk that he surrendered on at least one stingy bullshit call to Ryan Zimmerman came back to haunt him in the fourth inning, where the Nats scored all the runs that they’d need tonight in order to dispatch the Astros. Zimmermann scattered three hits, two of which were for extra sacks, and struck out 11 in his six innings of work, while the Astros could manage but two hits the rest of the way en route to the white washing. A sore lack of clutch hitting, 0-6 with runners in scoring position, again plagued the Astros, who stranded six runners tonight. Additionally, none of the Astros baserunners could advance past 2B tonight, despite two lead off base hits.

Nevertheless, Michael Morse added two long balls to his season’s total of ten in the sixth and eighth innings, respectively. Ryan Zimmerman drove home a last run with a sacrifice fly in the top of the ninth inning in order to cement the win and a series sweep for the Nationals, who now have the best road record in the major leagues.

Tonight’s result was as predictable as the results have been lately, with no surprises from the Home Nine, so the sparse number of GameZone denizens turned their focus on the goings on at Red Rocks, which, frankly, was more interesting than tonight’s ball game. The Astros, losers now of five in a row and now one for August, strive to increase their stranglehold on next year’s No. 1 pick while entertaining the Brewers. I can’t wait!

Nationals 4, Astros 3

W: Gonzales (14-6 3.32)
L: Galarraga (0-2 5.38)

BOX

by Sphinx Drummond

Once again the Astros had to face a team with a better win-loss ratio (this cycle will continue until it doesn‘t…maybe next year or the year after) and once again they proved why every team they face has a better win-loss ratio. The numbers don’t lie. It’s the ninth of August, and there is only one team with under 40 wins. One would hope a young team would get better as the season progresses but the Astros are making an exception.

If the Astros had their own show on TLC it would be of the Extreme Makeover variety. If it was about the 143 or so fans that still follow this team it would be one of the Strange Obsessions or Crazy Addictions variety.

Against the team with the best record in all of the MLB, the Astros actually did pretty good. They’ve lost three of the first four in this series but each game has been close, with arguably a chance to win in the 9th. After falling behind early last night, Galarraga pitched well enough to keep it close and Cedeno, Fick, and Cruz pitched well enough in relief that the Astros were only down 2 runs going into the home half of the night.

Corporan grounded out to start the frame and Brandon Barnes followed with his first major league hit. Marwin grounded out for the 2nd out but Barnes advanced to second base. Ben Francisco singled to drive in Barnes and make it a one run game with two outs. Jose Altuve followed with another single, Bogey, running for Francisco, made it to third and Altuve advanced to second on the throw.

So Mills, who must hate to be second guessed and always goes by the book when it comes to lefty-righty match-ups, leaves the ice-cold Downs in to bat for himself instead of maybe going to someone like Wallace (who has hit lefties better than Downs this year, FWIW). Anyway, Gonzales struck out Downs on four pitches, the last one–a curve ball in the dirt, and the Nationals harvested another win with Gio Gonzales earning a complete game victory.

Anyway, like Reuben, even if they ripped us off on the Rusty Staub deal, I miss those pesky Expos. I loved some of the great names they had like Coco Laboy, John Boccabella, or Pepe Mangual. I might have warmed up to the Washington DC team if they would have reused the Senators or any name that relates to the area but there’s a degree of arrogance in assuming the National namesake. It irks me in the same way the DFW team does in Arlington calling themselves the “Texas” Rangers.

Later tonight, it’s Zimmermann against Harrell. The overachieving Lucas Harrell gives the Astros their best chance to not get swept but Zimmermann is good and the Nationals are so fucking great the have the best record in all of major league baseball, so it’s a fat chance.

Contributed by Reuben

W: Storen (1-0)
L: Storey (0-1)
(wow, that totally looks like a typo, huh? According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the last time two pitchers with the same exact first five letters of their name, but a different sixth letter, both got their first decisions of the year in the same game was on Opening Day in 1947, when Tigers P Johnny Smithe beat Senators P Grundfos Smithy, 2-1 in 15 innings… Yes, that is all made-up bullshit).

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Good Things About This Game (in chronological order)
-Jordan Schafer went on the “DL” with an “injury”, and Brandon Barnes was called up
-Jordan Lyles’ 7+ great innings
-Francisco’s HR
-Wesley Wright’s 2 outs
-FeRod’s surprisingly good work
-W. Lopez, the usual
-Pearce, getting on base
-Corporan, working a 3-2 walk
-Wallace, hitting what should have been a walk-off double off the wall in left-center

Bad Things About This Game (in chronological order)
-Danny Espinosa. I almost never like guys whose stubble goes all the way up to their eyeballs, and Espinosa is nowhere near an exception. He had all 3 RBIs, posed like a smug cock-face when he hit the HR, and knocked a dinky-ass groundball up the middle for the game-winner. Plus, he had like 24 assists at SS tonight.
-the Nationals relievers. They’re all funny-lookin, and/or do something really annoying that pisses me off.
-Roger Bernhadihnha. No, I’m not going to look up how to spell his name. Fuck that guy and his fucking amazing catch running into the wall to end the game. I’ll bet it was really fucking exciting for all the Nationals fans that were there.
-the Nationals still haven’t gone back to being called the Expos, or dropped that horrible Walgreens logo. It’s sad how one of my formerly-favorite non-Astros teams has turned into a bland-clad bunch of goons led by ass-faces like Jayesen Worth and Bryce Harper. Damn I miss Tim Raines, Tim Wallach, Marquis Grissom and Delino DeShields (Sr.).

Read the GameZone thread for more colorful analysis, including bold (tragically misguided) predictions of an Astros victory.