Astros take a 4-3 lead in the top of the 8th, give up the tying run less than ten minutes later, and lose it in the 10th, 5-4.
*So the Astros have lost their 68th game of the season, in their 101st game. Previous years when they lost their 68th game: 2010 - G121; 2009 - G130; 2008 - G148; 2007 - G124; 2006 - G128; 2005 - G145.
*The Astros are 16-32 on the road and 17-36 at home. They're now 2-5 in extra innings.
*The Astros are now 4-5 against the Cubs, so the only teams they are .500 or better against are: Milwaukee and New York (3-3), and Toronto and Washington (2-1).
*Jordan Lyles remains winless, after 10 starts. In his ten starts the Astros have scored 33 runs. Total. He threw 6IP, 9H/3ER, 5K:1BB - with three doubles allowed.
*67 of Lyles' 102 pitches (65.7%) were for strikes, and taking his previous start (the 8.1IP outing against the Nationals), he has thrown 147 of 215 pitches for strikes, for a 68.4% strike rate. Coming into today's game, FanGraphs had Lyles strike rate at 66.7% - highest among all starters. J.A. Happ brings up the rear, at 52.9%.
*Wilton Lopez gave up the tying run in the 8th, for his 5th blown save of the season. It's his second in July, and third since June 26.
*David Carpenter took his first Major League loss after giving up a leadoff triple to Marlon Byrd, striking out Geovany Soto, and intentionally walking the next two batters. He gave up the walkoff single to Jeff Baker. It was Baker's first hit since July 7, a span of 13 PAs between hits.
*This is incredible: The Astros drew seven walks. They've had 7+ walks three times this season, and are 1-2.
*The Astros were 0x8 w/RISP (Pence: 0x3, Lee: 0x2). In the three-game series, the Astros were 3x30 w/RISP, and left 28 men on base.
*The top four in the lineup (Bourn, Barmes, Pence, Lee) went 6x16 with 4K:3BB, 4RBI, 2HR. Five-through-eight in the lineup (Johnson, Wallace, Downs, Quintero) went for a combined 1x16 with 8K:1BB.
*Matt Downs had an especially awful day at the plate, going 0x4 with 4Ks.
*Brett Wallace was 0x3 with a walk (his first since June 22 - and had 20Ks in between walks) but his OPS fell to .745, marking the first time since April 19 that his OPS has been under .750. He hasn't had an extra-base hit since he got a double on July 10 - 29 PAs. He's had three doubles in 55 PAs in July.
*Carlos Lee hit a two-run homer in the 8th to give the Astros the briefest of leads. So how about some homer facts: It was his first homer since June 30, his first road homer since April 23, his first homer in the 8th inning or later since September 12, 2010, and his first go-ahead homer in the 8th inning or later since September 4, 2010 off Aaron Heilman. It was Lee's 36th homer against the Cubs. Next highest on the list are the Royals and Indians - whom Lee has tagged for 19 each.
*From 2003-2008, Lee hit a homer every 20.4 PAs. 2009-2010, he hit a homer every 26.2 PAs. In 2011, he's hitting a homer every 51 PAs.
*Michael Bourn is playing like he's fine with getting traded, going 3x5 on the day. It's his 12th three-hit game, and his 33rd multi-hit game of the season. He had 31 multi-hit games in all of 2008.
*Man of the Match: Gotta give it to Carlos.
*Goat of the Game: Pence gave it to himself, but it's going to Clint Barmes.
We didn't come out here to play tiddlywinks, son.
-Hal Smith
