Zach Greinke (9-3, 3.17) vs Jordan Lyles (2-5, 5.40)
For the second straight game, Zach Greinke started for the Brewers. For the second straight game, Houston got to him before he recorded an out. But after giving up three runs in the first, Greinke and five other Milwaukee pitchers combined for nine shutout innings, and Houston's bullpen couldn't hold the lead after a solid start by Jordan Lyles. Astros lose 5-3 in 10, falling to 0-8 in extra innings and 33-53 overall. Houston enters the 2012 All-Star Break exactly where they ended 2011 - last in the major leagues.
*Lyles did indeed redeem himself from his awful previous start, with a 7 IP / 6 H / 2 R / 2 ER / 1 BB / 3 K line. He left with a 3-2 lead, but Wesley Wright and Brandon Lyon allowed the tying run to score in the 8th, then Fernando Rodriguez threw up a 1 IP / 2 H / 2 R / 2 ER / 3 BB / 3 K line in the 10th to ensure that Houston wouldn't win. Brett Myers pitched an adventurous but scoreless 9th in between.
Observations:
*Jordan Schafer led off the game with a hit off of Greinke again, today a single. He'd finish the day 1 for 4 with a run scored and a strikeout.
*Jose Altuve followed with a double, driving in Schafer against Greinke for the second day in a row (though it took until his fifth pitch of the game today). Altuve came around to score and finished 1 for 5 with a strikeout.
*It was J.D. Martinez that drove in Altuve with a single, going 1 for 4 with a run scored.
*Chris Snyder was 1 for 3 with an RBI on a bases-loaded walk by Greinke in the first.
*Scott Moore has hit safely in all nine games as an Astro so far, going 1 for 5 with a single and 3 K today.
*Chris Johnson was 1 for 4 with 2 K in presumably his last start at 1B.
Turning Point:
Jordan Lyles turned over a 3-2 lead to the "Regulators" in the 8th, but Wesley Wright began the inning by walking Norichika Aoki. Wright was pulled after Nyjer Morgan sacrificed Aoki over to second, then Brandon Lyon came on and allowed a RBI single to Ryan Braun that tied the game. The Astros did get the tying runs into scoring position with one out in the 10th, even after F-Rod's meltdown in the top of the inning. But they could have won the game without ever getting to extras if Wright and Lyon had done their jobs here.
Man of the Match:
Jordan Lyles. He out-pitched Zach Greinke on this day and deserved to win, but like too many great starts by Houston pitchers lately, it was ultimately wasted.
Goat of the Game:
Fernando Rodriguez. He has a 6.61 ERA and 8 losses out of the bullpen by the All-Star Break. There is no defensible reason that he's still on this team.
