Chien-Ming Wang (1-1, 7.13) vs Brad Peacock (2-4, 5.59)
Picked right up where they left off last night, they did. By the end of the 4th tonight, the Astros had outscored the Blue Jays 19-4 this series, and while this one ended up a bit closer, Houston was never in danger of falling behind. Castro and the Astros lock up their third series win in the last four by an 8-5 final, moving to 43-85 overall.
On the Mound:
*Like Lyles last night, it was only home runs that touched Brad Peacock tonight. He surrendered two, but the first was with two on, so Brad ended up with a 5.2 IP / 6 H / 4 R / 4 ER / 2 BB / 5 K line.
*Kevin Chapman is still untouched through 9 appearances now (6 IP), retiring both batters he faced tonight.
*Josh Zeid allowed a RBI double to J.P. Arencibia in 1.1 IP.
*Josh Fields fanned his only batter.
*And Chia-Jen Lo allowed only a bunt single in recording his second save.
At the Plate:
*Jason Castro is boss. Tonight he showed off his All-Star credentials again, blasting two homers (nos. 16 & 17) and a double to go 3 for 3 with a walk, 3 runs scored, and 3 RBI.
*Brandon Barnes also had a nice night, doubling and going 2 for 4 with 2 R, 2 RBI, and a K.
*Robbie Grossman is up to an 11-game hitting streak now after a RBI double tonight, finishing 1 for 4 with a run scored.
*L.J. Hoes stayed hot with his own RBI double, finishing 1 for 3 with a SB, a R, a BB, and a K.
*Brett Wallace had Houston's other hit, going 1 for 4 with a run scored and 3 K.
Turning Point:
After a 1-2-3 1st, Jason Castro led off the 2nd with a double. Matt Dominguez K'd, but then Brett Wallace singled and Brandon Barnes doubled, driving home both Castro and Wallace for a 2-0 Houston lead. A wild pitch by Chien-Ming Wang and a throwing error by Jose Reyes let Barnes also come around to score, and the Astros never looked back.
Man of the Match:
Castro the Astro! His two home runs tonight tied him with John Bateman for the franchise record for HR by a catcher (1966).
Goat of the Game:
The Astros are above .500 over their last 11 games (6-5) - their best such stretch since they went 8-3 between May 26 and June 5. No goat!
