David Price (1-4, 5.24) vs Erik Bedard (3-3, 4.44)
If you liked Monday night's Astros/Rays game, then you probably liked this one just as well. If you're an Astros fan, however, chances are better than good that you're not enjoying this series so far. The pitching was slightly less terrible (8 runs allowed instead of 12), and the hitting was marginally less embarrassing (four singles instead of two), but the Astros still got their butts whupped again, by an 8-0 score. It was Houston's second straight shutout (ninth of the season), their fifth straight loss, and they fall further to 30-54 overall.
On the Mound:
*No Bedardini magic tonight. His control was all over the place, as were his results, though Erik actually left in the 6th having allowed only 3 runs to that point. But the inherited runner he left behind promptly scored, closing his book with a 5.1 IP / 6 H / 4 R / 4 ER / 6 BB / 3 K line.
*Josh Fields only allowed one hit, with one K, in his 1.2 IP. But that one hit was a two-run HR to Desmond Jennings that charged one run to his ledger and one to Bedard's.
*Brett Oberholtzer returned from OKC to free us from the tyranny of Hector Ambriz, and he pitched 1.2 innings scoreless at first. But then four straight hits led to three runs in the 9th before he could record the final out.
At the Plate:
*Tonight was the fifth time the Astros have been four-hit this season, and the second of those to be a four-hit shutout (5/5 v. DET). They've been held to four hits or fewer 10 times total this year.
*Carlos Corporan had half of the hits, going 2 for 3 with a K.
*J.D. Martinez and Jimmy Paredes (K) each went 1 for 3.
*Brandon Barnes was hit by a pitch in the 8th. That was Houston's final, and only other, baserunner. No Astro drew a walk tonight.
Turning Point:
Desmond Jennings singled on the game's first pitch, and Sean Rodriguez followed with a walk. Erik Bedard got Ben Zobrist to fly out to center for the first out, but both runners tagged and advanced, then Evan Longoria walked to load the bases. A sac fly by Wil Myers put the Rays up 1-0 before Houston ever got to bat, and the Astros only ever got one runner as far as second base, so that was that.
Man of the Match:
Carlos Corporan, by default.
Goat of the Game:
Erik Bedard and a Supporting Cast of Incompetence.
