Why They Won
The Cubs left three on base in the 9th/10th innings, and Geoff Blum, Pedro Feliz, and Jeff Keppinger got crucial hits/RBIs late to propel the Astros to their first series win of the seaon. Add to that Wandy's excellent ND, and that's why they won.
Astros Pitching
| Name | IP | H/ER | K:BB | Pit-Str | CS/SS |
| Wandy | 7 | 6/2 | 3:1 | 105-66 (62.9%) | 19/13 |
| Moehler | 1 | 0/0 | 0:0 | 14-9 (64.3%) | 2/1 |
| Byrdak | 1 | 0/0 | 1:2 | 25-12 (48%) | 3/4 |
| Lindstrom | 1 | 1/0 | 3:0 | 20-13 (65%) | 4/3 |
Give it up to the bullpen, who allowed three baserunners - two walks by Byrdak and a hit off Lindstrom - in innings 8-10. Moehler was perfect in his IP, and that was good to see. His scoreless inning drops his ERA to 5.79, and Lindstrom struck out the side for his second save of the season. Wandy threw first-pitch strikes to 20 of 27 batters, and though he didn't get the win, he was excellent in his third start of the season.
Astros hitting
Carlos Lee was 0x5. Let's start there. He's hitting .104. Let's repeat. Carlos Lee, after two weeks, is hitting .104. However, Hunter Pence was 2x4. Here a little later we'll get into how big Lance Berkman was in Round Rock, and hopefully this will keep El Caballo from getting all sweaty and nervous at the plate. Otherwise, Jeff Keppinger was 2x4 with a walk and an RBI, and is currently hitting .371. Pence and Blum had the other multi-hit games, and Jason Michaels had a crucial hit.
Against Dempster, the Astros were 5x28. After it was turned over to the Cubs' bullpen, the Astros were 4x8 with a walk and two sac flies to send the game from 2-1 Cubs to 3-2 Astros. Geoff Blum hit a one-out double, scoring Hunter Pence, who may not have scored had he not stolen second base off Marmol. When Michaels led off the 10th with a double, Bourn sac'ed him over to third, and Happy Pete's sac fly scored the winning run.
Pitch Count Hero: Michael Bourn (0x2, 2BB) - 25 pitches in four PAs.
Pitch Count Punk: Hunter Pence (2x4) - 8 pitches in four PAs.
Man of the Match: Wandy Rodriguez. Overcame his rough history at Wrigley to dominate the Cubs.
Goat of the Game: Carlos Lee. Sir, you are a non-factor in this lineup.
