Why They Won
Because it just might turn out that this team is scrappy. Down 2-0 in the first, the Astros get one back. Down 3-1 in the second, the Astros get one back. Down 4-2 in the sixth, the Astros get one back, and then go ahead by three. Jason Michaels' homer to left in the 8th iced the game at 7-4, and Berkman made an immediate impact with two RBI and some good defense.
Astros Pitching
| Name | IP | H/ER | K:BB | Pit-Str | CS/SS |
| Myers | 7 | 8/4 | 2:0 | 106-71 (67%) | 16/11 |
| Lyon | 1 | 0/0 | 1:0 | 12-9 (75%) | 4/1 |
| Lindstrom | 1 | 2/1 | 0:0 | 23-16 (69.6%) | 5/1 |
Myers started out the game by allowing four consecutive singles, leading to an immediate 2-0 Marlins lead. But this is interesting: In innings 1-3, Myers has a 7.00 ERA, and is allowing a .425/.452/.525 line. In innings 4-6, Myers has a 1.00 ERA, with a .133/.161/.267 against. The first time through the order, batters are 13x26 against Myers. 2nd and 3rd time through? 9x52.
Astros hitting
The Astros got nine hits, four of them for extra bases (doubles by Berkman, Lee, and Pence), and a homer by Jason Michaels who, with two, is the team leader in home runs. The Astros got three sac hits, including what was kind of a suicide squeeze by Kaz Matsui, pushing the ball up the first base line to score Pence, giving the Astros a 5-4 lead in the 8th. Next batter up, Michaels bombed it to the Crawford Boxes.
The Astros were 4x15 w/RISP, with Feliz and Michaels getting a hit, and J.R. Towles with two RISP hits. Since the loss at Wrigley on April 16, when Quintero got two straight starts, Towles is 5x9 with 5RBI, and has raised his average from .056 to .222, and his OPS from .167 to .592.
Pitch Count Hero: Michael Bourn (0x3, 2BB) - 21 pitches in five PAs.
Pitch Count Punk: Pedro Feliz (1x4) - 10 pitches in four PAs.
Man of the Match: This is difficult. How about Lance Berkman? A double in four ABs, but did enough with the ball in two other plate appearances to get the run home from third. And he didn't get hurt during the game.
Goat of the Game: Matt Lindstrom. Came in with a 7-4 lead, and two hits and a wild pitch saw the tying run come to the plate.
