Apparently The Constable said Carlos Lee would hit that home run before it happened. You can believe him if you want, but, um, I don't. Astros win 3-2, and split the series with the lowly Mets.
*Bud Norris pitched very well, but was inefficient. 123 pitches in seven innings, and he was at 108 after six innings. The 123 pitches are a season-high, and the 26 batters faced were his lowest in three starts.
*That said, Norris has thrown 6+ innings in eight of his last nine innings, and is 4-1 since the All-Star Break.
*Norris has thrown 1876 pitches (62% of them for strikes) this season to 469 batters. This is an average of exactly 4.00 pitches per batter faced, but 5.86 pitches per out.
*Norris' 5.23 ERA is the lowest it's been since it was 4.26 on April 21.
*Wilton Lopez continues to impress. It's now been 17 appearances since he's allowed a run, and in those 17 games, he's got an 0.68 WHIP, striking out 16 and walking just one.
*There wasn't much going on offensively until the 7th inning. Consider innings 1-6, the Astros were 1x19 against Pat Misch. Pence doubled in the first, and then Misch got the next 16 consecutive batters. In the 7th, though, Sanchez singled to center, Pence singled to left, and then Carlos Lee took the first pitch he saw to left (and I don't care what ESPN says, that was not a 381' home run). 3-2. Ball game.
*McTaggart noted that last night's game was the 9th come-from-behind win in a row for the Astros.
*The Astros' 1-4 hitters (Bourn, Sanchez, Pence, Lee): 4x14, 3RBI. 5-8 hitters: 1x12.
*Chris Johnson is 0x(his last) 13. He last got on base in the 8th inning with an intentional walk in the 7th of the first game of the Mets series.
*Hunter Pence's double was his 25th of the season - he has at least 25 doubles in all four seasons he's played.
*On June 28, Michael Bourn went 4x6 at Milwaukee. Since then he's hit .217/.292/.283 with 32K:15BB, and a .275 BABIP.
*Since June 1, the Astros are 36-33.
*Pitch Count Hero: Sanchez (1x4) and Chris Johnson (0x3) - 17 pitches in three PAs.
*Pitch Count Punk: Geoff Blum (0x3) - 7 pitches in three PAs.
*Man of the Match: Carlos Lee!
*Goat of the Game: It's hard to have a lead-off man who can't get on base. Michael Bourn, this Goat's for you.
We didn't come out here to play tiddlywinks, son.
-Hal Smith
