Sigh. Astros lose behind weak starting pitching and weak relief pitching, 10-5 to the Cardinals.
*This loss makes the Astros current streak a four-game losing streak. It's the 9th separate losing streak of 4+ games of the season.
*You have to go all the way back to July 7-10 to find the last four-game road losing streak.
*The loss drops the Astros to 2-7 against the Cardinals. The Astros are 15-30 against the NL Central. Only Baltimore (11-24) has a worse inter-division winning percentage, and have obviously played ten fewer games against the AL East than the Astros have played against the NL Central.
*J.A. Happ had himself another Disaster Start (more runs than IP), throwing 4.2IP, 7H/6ER, 1K:3BB. It's his 6th Disaster Start of the season (20 starts).
*In four July starts, Happ has 15K:17BB in 22.2IP. In five of his last six starts, Happ has been pulled with two outs in the inning.
*After starting his ML career with six straight scoreless appearances, David Carpenter has now allowed runs in his last three starts, sending his ERA upwards to 5.68. In these past three games (2.1IP), he has faced 13 batters, allowed 6H/5ER, with 1K:2BB.
*Aneury Rodriguez threw two perfect innings, and since allowing a run against Boston on July 2 (four appearances) - he has thrown 4.2IP, allowing 1H/0ER, 4K:1BB.
*The offense is something of an indictment on the pitching staff. In 33 games the Astros have scored 5+_runs, and have an overall record of 21-12.
*Carlos Lee swung the big bat, getting an 8th inning grand slam. It's his 2nd 8th inning homer in as many days, and the second time this season he's had homers in back-to-back games.
*Of course the story of that homer is the grand slam, the 16th of his career, and the first since June 9, 2010 (at Colorado). Interestingly enough, Carlos Lee has now only hit two homers off of P.J. Walters - both of them grand slams, the first coming on July 21, 2009.
*Jose Altuve was 3x4 with two doubles on the night - the first extra-base hits of his young ML career. It's as many doubles as Brett Wallace - who now sometimes doesn't play - has had since July 4.
*Jason Bourgeois was 2x4 for the other multi-hit game - and his OPS is now .803.
*Hunter Pence was 1x3 with a walk, the first time he has drawn walks in back-to-back games since May 11/13 (Cincinnati and New York).
*Man of the Match: Jose Altuve
*Goat of the Game: J.A. Happ. The Astros are 4-16 in Happ's starts this season.
We didn't come out here to play tiddlywinks, son.
-Hal Smith
