Early returns: Happ > Oswalt. For tonight, anyway. Astros beat the Brewers 5-0.
*This win is the Astros fourth win in their last five games. And it's the third series (out of five) that the Astros have won the first game of the series.
*There were only ten hits between both teams, with the Astros scoring their five runs on six hits and three walks. It's the 30th game this season in which the Astros have collected six or fewer hits. In those games, the Astros are 7-23.
*The last time the Astros scored this many runs on this few hits was on June 10 at Colorado (a 5-4 win), in which the Astros got five runs on four hits and three walks.
*So this J.A. Happ fella is pretty good. He needed 98 pitches to get through 6IP, but he only allowed 2H/0ER, 6K:4BB - throwing first-pitch strikes to eleven of 25 batters. 28 of his 54 strikes were non-contact strikes (15 called, 13 swinging)
*Happ allowed Rickie Weeks to lead off the game with a double. And then it was 21 batters before Casey McGehee singled to left in the top of the 6th before the Brewers got their next hit.
*The bullpen of Lopez, Lyon, and Lindstrom combined for 3IP, 2H/0ER, 3K:0BB - throwing 23 of their 33 pitches for strikes.
*The Brewers had at least one man on in each of Happ's innings - including three lead-off batters (thanks to Carlos Lee's error in the 4th)
*Jeff Keppinger and Chris Johnson got two hits each, with Keppinger walking twice and knocking in a run, while Johnson hit a three-run homer to extend the game to 4-0.
*1-4 in the lineup (Bourn-Sanchez-Keppinger-Lee) went 2x14 with 5K:2BB (hits and walks all Keppinger). 5-8 in the lineup (Michaels-Feliz-Johnson-Quintero) went 4x12 with 1K:1BB, 4RBI.
*The Astros hit three homers in the game (Johnson, Michaels, Keppinger) for just the third time this season. Their season-high is four, set on July 7.
Pitch Count Hero: Keppinger (2x2, 2BB) - 19 pitches in four PAs
Pitch Count Punk: Humberto Quintero (0x3) - 7 pitches in three PAs.
Man of the Match: This goes to J.A. Happ. Fine debut. With honorable mention going to Chris Johnson.
Goat of the Game: Carlos Lee. Keppinger was on base in front of him four times, and Lee couldn't come up with a hit. Rather he hit into a double play and committed an error.
We didn't come out here to play tiddlywinks, son.
-Hal Smith
