I knew it. All that talk about "one game under .500," was too good to be true. Or so Chris Sampson thought, in a 4-3 loss last night at PETCO. Three of those Padres runs came in the 7th inning after the Astros had a 3-0 lead after three innings shaved to 3-1 in the 4th.
Hampton had a great outing in his first start since coming off the DL. Let's take a gander:
Hampton: 6IP, 4H/1ER, 6K:1BB, 18 first-pitch strikes (78.3%), 31 non-contact strikes
Sampson: 1IP, 4H/3ER, 1K:0BB, 6 FPS (85.7%), 7 NCS
Arias: 1IP, 1K:1BB, 4 FPS (100%), 5 NCS
So Sampson. What the heck happened? Well, here's what sucks: all three of those 7th inning runs came with two outs. After getting Blanco to K (swinging), and Cabrera to sac bunt, Sampson gave up three straight hits - a double to right, single to right, single to center. 4-3 game. And, for the second time in three days, the Astros lose on a night that the Cubs, Reds, and Cardinals all lost.
Sampson:
"I just didn’t make pitches," he said. "It was my fault. I missed a few spots, made some bad pitches. Hampton pitched his tail off and deserved to win. I just messed it up."
Offensively the Astros did enough to win. Berkman's 3rd inning homer capped a 2x3 night, one batter after Tejada doubled in Bourn. 1-4 in the lineup got six of the Astros seven hits, going 6x15 (.400) with a walk. The Astros did have a chance to do something in the 9th, but two quick groundouts from Pence (now hitting .310 - and has four hits in last 32 ABs) and Kata put the Astros behind, and when Michaels and Pudge walked, Bourn lined out to right to end the game.
Man of the Match: Toss-up between Lance and Hampton. But this one's going to Lance, 2x3 with a walk and a 2-run homer.
Goat of the Game: Is there any doubt? Chris Sampson.
We didn't come out here to play tiddlywinks, son.
-Hal Smith
