Ian Kennedy (10-10, 4.35) vs Armando Galarraga (0-3, 5.75)
The first game of the Tony DeFrancesco era in Houston felt a lot like the last game of the Brad Mills era. Diamondbacks complete the sweep with an 8-1 win today, dropping the Astros to 39-83 on the season.
*Armando Galarraga has started five games now for the Astros, and each start has gone progressively worse than the previous one. He was fine through the first three innings today, but he couldn't make it out of the 4th, allowing five runs in the frame before DeFrancesco lifted him with this line: 3.2 IP / 6 H / 5 R / 5 ER / 2 BB / 1 K. Mickey Storey got Houston out of the 4th with no further damage and pitched a scoreless 5th, but Wesley Wright (1.1 IP, 2 R) and Fernando Rodriguez (1.2 IP, 1 R) both dug the hole deeper. Wilton Lopez allowed only a single in a scoreless 9th thereafter.
Observations:
*Houston's offense under new hitting coach Ty Van Burkleo didn't look much different than under the dismissed Mike Barnett, either. 1 for 11 with RISP and 10 men left on base today, producing only the one run on 6 hits and 6 walks.
*Jason Castro had the best day at the plate, going 2 for 4 with the only RBI.
*Tyler Greene scored that run after doubling to lead off the 6th, going 1 for 4 on the day.
*Fernando Martinez almost had a home run, but the initial call was reversed upon replay review, earning him a double instead. He'd finish 1 for 3.
*Every Astros positional starter had either a hit or a walk, but only Brandon Barnes had both, going 1 for 3 with a walk and a single.
Turning Point:
A scoreless game going to the 4th got ugly quickly. It wasn't quite as ugly as last night's 9-run 5th, but it still wasn't pretty for Astros fans, going like this: home run, single, single, fly out, single (run), double steal, walk, walk (run), sac fly (run), ground-rule double (run), pitching change. Aaron Hill had homered to start the inning, and Mickey Storey got him to ground out to end it, but Houston's ship had already sunk.
Man of the Match:
Jason Castro. It would be great for the Astros if this is a sign that he's regaining the stroke that saw him hitting .301/.380/.494 in the 28 games before he went on the DL.
Goat of the Game:
Armando Galarraga. He added another full run to his ERA, so he's now at 6.75 on the year.
