To quote The Constable, "Boom, Sucka!" Carlos Lee gets to play the hero, and the Astros steal one, 6-5.
*But let's begin with Bud Norris. Bud, Bud, Bud. With the 4.2IP, 8H/5ER, 5K:3BB performance, his road ERA jumped to 5.45 - now higher than his 5.23 home ERA.
*It marks the second straight game that Norris has allowed 5ER, and the first time since July 17 that he hasn't gone five full innings - also a road start, but at Pittsburgh.
*Norris needed 102 pitches to get his 14 outs - 7.29 pitches per out. That's the highest number in a start since he needed 7.83 pitches to get each of his 12 outs against San Diego on May 7.
*Things got away from Norris in the bottom of the 5th when, with two outs, he walked Miguel Montero and Ryan Roberts took a 2-2 pitch to left for a three-run homer. Seven of the 24 homers that Norris has given up have come with two outs, but it's only the 2nd 3-run homer he's given up in his career.
*Four of Norris' eight hits came with two strikes in the count.
*This is interesting: Tonight's game was the 3rd game in which Norris has left with the Astros behind, and come back to win.
*Four pitchers were used to get the final 13 outs of the game. In those 4.1IP, the bullpen allowed 2H/0ER, 2K:1BB. That performance lowered the bullpen's ERA to 4.42.
*The Astros got ten total bases off Aaron Heilman (single, double, triple, homer). With those bases, the Astros' SLG against Heilman jumped to .531 - highest among all NL teams, and only second behind the Orioles, who lit him up in two career games.
*Carlos Lee swung the big bat tonight. The Astros had the lead twice, and it was Lee who made it happen both times - providing an RBI single in the 1st, and a three-run homer in the 8th. It's his 3rd 4RBI game of the year.
*Those hits were his 23rd and 24th go-ahead hits of the season. He had 19 in all of 2009.
*Top of the lineup (Bourn-Kep-Pence-Lee): 5x16, 5RBI. Bottom of the lineup (Michaels-Johnson-Manzella-Quintero): 1x12
*Angel Sanchez was 2x2 as a pinch-hitter/replacement, doubling his substitute hitter total from two to four.
*Michael Bourn ended his 12-game hit streak with an 0x4 night. But he did draw a walk to extend his on-base streak to 14 games.
*Pitch Count Hero: Michael Bourn (0x4, BB) - 25 pitches in five PAs
*Pitch Count Punk: Tommy Manzella (0x3) - seven pitches in three PAs
*Man of the Match: Easy. Carlos Lee.
*Goat of the Game: Going with Norris here. Still inconsistent, and was inefficient tonight.
We didn't come out here to play tiddlywinks, son.
-Hal Smith
