Philip Humber (0-2, 3.09) vs C.J. Wilson (0-0, 5.25)
Philip Humber, welcome to the Roger Clemens Club of No Run Support. After the Astros were shutout in each of Humber's first two starts, Houston finally scored a run for him today. But one was all they would get, and it wasn't enough, as the Astros fall by a 4-1 margin. The Angels take the series 2-1, and Houston drops to 4-8 on the year.
On the Mound:
*Philip Humber has easily pitched well enough to be 3-0 for the Astros this season, but instead he drops to 0-3. He kept his team in the game all day, but they could never put much together against C.J. Wilson, so Philip lost with this line: 7 IP / 7 H / 2 R / 2 ER / 1 BB / 4 K.
*Rhiner Cruz was more deserving of the loss today, but that's not how the rules work. Down 2-1, the Astros kept knocking on the door, but Cruz allowed a 2-run shot to Josh Hamilton in his inning that doubled the Angels' run total and stomped on Houston's hopes.
*Rhiner Cruz was more deserving of the loss today, but that's not how the rules work. Down 2-1, the Astros kept knocking on the door, but Cruz allowed a 2-run shot to Josh Hamilton in his inning that doubled the Angels' run total and stomped on Houston's hopes.
At the Plate:
*Houston's only RBI of the day went to Matt Dominguez, who doubled in the 2nd to pull the Astros into a temporary 1-1 tie. Matty D finished 1 for 4 with a K.
*Ronny Cedeno scored the Astros' lone run, doubling immediately prior to Dominguez to finish 1 for 3.
*Carlos Corporan had a pair of singles to go 2 for 4.
*Chris Carter and Carlos Pena had identical days, each going 0 for 2 with 2 BB and a K.
*Jose Altuve (1 for 5, K), J.D. Martinez (1 for 3, BB), and Brandon Barnes (1 for 3) had the other hits.
*Ronny Cedeno scored the Astros' lone run, doubling immediately prior to Dominguez to finish 1 for 3.
*Carlos Corporan had a pair of singles to go 2 for 4.
*Chris Carter and Carlos Pena had identical days, each going 0 for 2 with 2 BB and a K.
*Jose Altuve (1 for 5, K), J.D. Martinez (1 for 3, BB), and Brandon Barnes (1 for 3) had the other hits.
Turning Point:
With the score 1-1 in the Angels half of the 3rd, Philip Humber started out by getting Peter Bourjos to fly out to CF. He then threw three straight fastballs to Mike Trout, but Trout deposited the third of those in the cheap seats out in right center for his first HR of the year. That shouldn't have been a game-clinching blow, but that's how it ended up.
Man of the Match:
Philip Humber. In spite of his 0-3 start, he's given Houston more than they could have hoped for so far.
Goat of the Game:
Rhiner Cruz. He's not responsible for the loss in either of the last two games, but he hurt his team's chances both times instead of the opposite.
