Jon Niese (2-0, 2.81) v.s. JA Happ (1-1, 4.70)
The Astros jumped on Mets starter Jon Niese early, piled on in the second, and never looked back on their way to a 6-3 win tonight. 5 of the Astros 6 runs game via the longball in a power surge tonight. The Astros have took the first 2 games against the Mets and go for the series sweep tomorrow. The Astros move to 10-14 and inch ever closer to .500, while the Mets fall to 13-11.
*JA Happ was solid and picked up the win to move to 2-1 tonight. His line: 6.1 IP / 6 H / 3 ER / 3 BB / 7 K. Happ retired the final 7 hitters he faced tonight. The bullpen was also solid again, as Lopez, Wright and Myers all saw action. Myers picked up the save, his 6th of the season and 2nd in the past 2 days.
Observations:
*Carlos Lee made his return to the lineup and batted cleanup. Jordan Schafer was out with a left oblique strain, giving Justin Maxwell a start - so Altuve led off with Lowrie batting 2nd and JD 3rd. Chris Johnson also got the night off, as Downs started at third.
*Altuve stayed red hot, going 2 for 4 with a run and a walk. Season line moves to .367/.414/.544.
*Justin Maxwell also collected a hit and a walk tonight. He isn't a superstar by any means, but he is a very capable player that fits into the team nicely as a pinch hitter and occasional starter.
*Altuve and Bogusevic both got caught stealing tonight, both by the combination of Batista and Thole.
*The Astros collected 10 hits and 8 walks tonight. Anytime you can put 18 people on base by these two methods, you are going to have success. The patience of the Astros hitters has been great to see and is a big reason for the offense doing so well.
Turning Point:
The Lowrie homerun made it 2-0 early, but the Snyder 3 run shot was effectively the game winner.
Man of the Match:
Talk about a tough choice tonight. Snyder would be an obvious pick, but I'm going to give Lowrie the nod tonight with a deadly mix of power and eye. 1 for 2, 1 run, 2 RBI (on a 2 run homerun) and 3 walks. Season stats move to .303/.410/.470. I absolutely love this guys playing style. So far the deal by Luhnow is looking great.
Goat of the Game:
Carlos Lee and Matt Downs were the only players to go hitless. For Carlos it was his first game action since his injury, so it's tough to be too hard on him - however he did go 0 for 4 whereas Downs at least drew a walk. Carlos gets the nod.
