Philip Humber (0-1, 1.59) vs Joe Saunders (0-1, 9.00)
Once upon a time not that long ago, in a land 1,843,587 Altuves away, Philip Humber did what Yu didn't and twirled a perfect game. Tonight, Philip led his new team in a return to that magical land of coffee shops and grunge music, but as is most often true, the sequel couldn't live up to the original. No history for Humber tonight, and the Astros are shut out for the third time in the young season, falling to Seattle 3-0.
On the Mound:
*While no one seriously expected Philip Humber to repeat what he did the last time he was in Seattle, Bo Porter still had to be pleased with the effort from his righty tonight. Humber turned in his second straigh solid start, but you can't win if your team never scores. Philip's line: 6 IP / 5 H / 3 R / 3 ER / 1 BB / 2 K.
*Wesley Wright and Rhiner Cruz tossed a hitless, scoreless inning apiece to wrap up the evening, with only another Ronny Cedeno error keeping the bullpen from being perfect.
At the Plate:
*The Astros tallied seven hits plus a walk tonight, but all of those hits were singles, and they never managed to string enough of them together at once to score.
*Matt Dominguez had Houston's only multi-hit game, going 2 for 4.
*Justin Maxwell, Chris Carter, and Jason Castro each went 1 for 4.
*Brandon Barnes got another start and went 1 for 2 with a walk.
*Ronny Cedeno had the other hit, going 1 for 3.
*Houston managed to keep their K's down to only 8 tonight. King K Ankiel didn't start, but still managed to strike out in both of his plate appearances, and Chris Carter added two more of his own.
Turning Point:
Michael Saunders made sure that there would be no perfect game talk tonight, lining Philip Humber's second pitch of the night into left field for a single. Two batters later, Kendrys Morales drove him in with another single. It was only 1-0 in the 1st then, but that would be all that the Mariners needed tonight.
Man of the Match:
Philip Humber. Turned in a quality start, but he got no support.
Goat of the Game:
Rick Ankiel. He's still tied for the team lead in RBI, but he's now up to a stunning 12 K in 14 PA.
