Brad Peacock (1-4, 6.43) vs Jerome Williams (5-8, 4.85)
Well, that's not at all what we'd come to expect. Houston held a late, close lead after another solid starting pitching performance. But instead of the bullpen coming in and coughing up the game, the pen was equally solid and the offense ran away with it. Astros win for the third time in four games, beating the Angels 8-2. They're officially at the 3/4 pole now, 40-81 on the season.
On the Mound:
*Since returning to Houston and to the rotation on August 4, Brad Peacock has now posted three straight quality starts. Tonight, he even earned a win, with a 6.1 IP / 4 H / 2 R / 0 ER / 2 BB / 5 K line.
*Josh Zeid shook off three straight shaky outings, allowing only a single in 1.1 scoreless IP.
*Kevin Chapman got Josh Hamilton to pop up for the last out of the 8th, then Chia-Jen Lo followed with a one-hit, scoreless 9th. Both maintain their perfect big league ERAs so far.
At the Plate:
*Where to start, for a change? Houston's 13 hits tonight were a new high for the month of August - their most since they had 15 in beating Baltimore 11-0 on July 31.
*cHRis Carter led the way with a big 5 RBI night, going 2 for 4 with 2 K and his 23rd HR of the year - a 3-run blast in the 9th to put the game away.
*Matt Dominguez also had a big night and also went deep in the 9th, going back-to-back with Carter for his 15th HR. Matty D finished 3 for 5 with a K.
*L.J. Hoes also also had a big night, missing only a homer for the cycle and ending up 3 for 5 with a run scored.
*Robbie Grossman singled twice to go 2 for 5 with a run scored and a K.
*Brett Wallace added a double and went 1 for 5 with a R and 2 K.
*Jose Altuve had a nice SABR night, going 1 for 3 with 2 BB, a SB (his 30th), and a R.
*Jonathan Villar had the remaining hit, going 1 for 4 with a R, a BB, and a K.
*Jason Castro was hitless, officially going 0 for 2, but he also walked three times, earned a RBI, and scored a run.
Turning Point:
A scoreless game through 4 innings, L.J. Hoes led off the 5th with a double. A bunt single by Villar and a conventional single by Grossman plated the game's first run, but the Astros weren't done yet. After a Brett Wallace groundout, Jose Altuve walked to load the bases, then Jason Castro walked to bring in run #2. That ended Jerome Williams' night, but Chris Carter started his big showing with a sac fly next to give Houston a 3-0 lead.
Man of the Match:
Chris Carter! 5 RBI will usually win that award for ya.
Goat of the Game:
Brandon Barnes, I guess - 0 for 5 with a K, though Mike Trout helped that with a Grossman-esque catch that robbed Barnyard of a possible home run.
