Isn't this interesting? The Astros got a six-run 6th inning and an 8-2 win over the Pirates.
*For those keeping track of trends, that's three in a row, four of six, and eight of fourteen. The win ties a season high for wins in a calendar month, with eleven.
*The Astros are 4-2 against Pittsburgh in their last six games, after starting the season 1-7 against them.
*Henry Sosa had his best start of the season: 6IP, 2H/1ER, 7K:1BB. In his last two starts (at SFG, vPIT) Sosa has thrown 12IP, 6H/2ER, 10K:4BB.
*And he's been efficient, too. He has gotten 18 outs in four of his five starts, while throwing 100 pitches just once. Sosa has faced 118 batters, retired 87 of them (73.7%), while throwing 436 pitches. That's 3.69 pitches per batter, and 5.01 pitches per out.
*Wesley Wright threw another perfect inning, and since allowing an earned run in his season debut on August 6 he has thrown 5.1IP, allowing 2H/0ER, 4K:1BB.
*Brett Myers - who was in the game getting an inning in before his wife gives birth - took the opportunity to give up his 30th homer, to Andrew McCutchen in the 9th. It's the third time in his career he's allowed 30+ HR, and the first since 2004/2005.
*The six-run 6th inning ties a season high for runs in an inning.
*Top four in the lineup (Schafer, Altuve, Martinez, Lee) went a combined 9x19, with 6RBI. Bottom four (Bogusevic, Paredes, Barmes, Corporan) went 3x14, with 4BB.
*J.D. Martinez went 3x5 with 3RBI - his 9th multi-hit game in 28 starts. In August, Martinez is hitting .282/.315/.515.
*Jose Altuve hit his 2nd homer of the year, and in these two games against Pittsburgh, Altuve is 5x10 with two extra-base hits, and no strikeouts. He has gone 14 plate appearances without a strikeout, six shy of his season-high of 20 K-less PAs.
*Carlos Corporan, he of the .264 OBP, walked twice in a game for the first time in his major-league career.
*Carlos Lee went 2x5 with an RBI, extending his hitting streak to 11 games, in which he's 19x42 with six doubles, two homers, 3K:6BB, raising his OPS 47 points, to .772.
*Man of the Match: Henry Sosa, and J.D. Martinez
*Goat of the Game: Clint Barmes - went 0x4, with 2K, and 0x3 w/RISP.
We didn't come out here to play tiddlywinks, son.
-Hal Smith
