Bud Norris (5-5, 4.90) vs Jeff Karstens (1-2, 5.25)
The Astros can't get off the road quickly enough. One day they'll put it all together again, but another great pitching performance was wasted tonight as Houston began the post-Caballo era with their eighth consecutive loss, 2-0. The Astros go 0-7 on their latest roadie, including three shutouts, and they fall to 32-51 on the season (23-19 home, 9-32 road).
*Bud Norris was finally back to form tonight, turning in his first quality start since May 21, with 5 other starts and a DL stint in between. Bud's line: 7 IP / 5 H / 2 R / 2 ER / 3 BB / 6 K. Brett Myers made his first appearance since June 28 and threw a perfect 8th on just eight pitches. Looking at tonight's matchup, you expected this one to be advantage Houston, but Pittsburgh's weakest starter turned in their best pitching performance, handing Bud his fifth consecutive loss.
Observations:
*Sadly little to report on offense again - 4 singles, 3 walks, 2 double plays, no runs, and only one Houston runner reached third base (with two outs in the 9th).
*Each of the Astros' top three batters had a hit tonight: Altuve (1 for 4, SB), Lowrie (1 for 3, BB), and Scott Moore (1 for 4, K).
*Chris Synder had Houston's other hit, going 1 for 2 with a walk.
*Matt Dominguez was 0 for 2 with a K and a GIDP in his Astros debut.
*Dominguez got the start at 3B, so Chris Johnson was your new Houston 1B, at least for tonight. CJ went 0 for 4 with a K.
Turning Point:
Sad that it happened so early, but back-to-back doubles by Casey McGehee and Garrett Jones leading off the 2nd plated the Pirates' first run. Houston never truly threatened on offense tonight, so that would be the game winner.
Man of the Match:
Bud Norris. His last five starts weren't pretty (0-4, 9.55), but he deserved the win tonight.
Goat of the Game:
Once again - the entire Astros offense. #FreeBrettWallace
