Colby Lewis (3-3, 3.63) vs Jordan Lyles (0-0, 3.00)
The Texas Rangers jumped all over Astros starter Jordan Lyles, scoring 5 runs on 5 hits in the first inning. It was enough to sink the Astros as they never mounted a threat and fell by a 6-1 count. The Astros fall even further away from .500 at 18-23 while the Rangers improve to a very nice 26-16 record.
*Jordan Lyles was a case of Dr. Jekyl & Mr. Hyde tonight. He had a horrendous 1st inning where he gave up 5 runs on 5 hits. 2 of those hits came on absolute meatballs that he served up on 0-2 counts, when he should be bouncing balls in the dirt or throwing something way up to get a chase. But after that terrible inning he settled right down, He only gave up a solo homerun to left in his 5th and final inning after that. His line was 5.0 IP / 9 H / 6 ER / 3 BB / 6 K. Rodriguez, Cruz and Wright each saw work as well, and combined for 4 scoreless innings.
Observations:
*Jed Lowrie scored the only Astros run with a solo homerun in the 9th inning. It was his 6th homerun of the year, a pretty nice total so far.
*Jordan Schafer (injured) and JD Martinez were both out of action tonight, setting up a Buck/Maxwell/Bogusevic outfield. They went a combined 1 for 10 with 4 strikeouts.
*Jose Altuve led off and did a great job of it, going 2 for 4 with a double. Even when Schafer comes back, I would prefer to see Altuve in the leadoff spot with Schafer batting 2nd. Schafer has simply been striking out too much lately to be a viable leadoff option.
*The Astros only drew 1 walk (Carlos Lee) to 6 strikeouts today. They also only had 5 hits.
*The Astros went 0 for 7 with runners in scoring position and left 5 men on base.
Turning Point:
The terrible 1st inning. Lyles had a couple of Rangers on the ropes, but gave up hits on 0-2 counts. The inning sunk the Astros and their lackluster offense never mounted a challenge.
Man of the Match:
The Astros offense was terrible again, so i'll give it to the only (brief) bright spot of the day - Jed Lowrie for his solo homerun in the 9th to at least ruin the shutout.
Goat of the Game:
Jordan Lyles. Despite being pretty darn good from innings 2 through 5, his terrible 1st sunk the Astros. He struggled mightily with his command, and you simply can't get away with that against a team as good as the Rangers.
