Mark Buehrle (9-7, 4.23) vs Dallas Keuchel (5-7, 5.11)
C'est la vie, c'est la guerre. The Astros were this close to their first series sweep since 5/31-6/3 in Anaheim. But Chia-Jen Lo couldn't find his control, and Cody Clark couldn't write the Hollywood ending, so the Astros drop the series finale 2-1. They head north to Chicago at 43-86.
On the Mound:
*Dallas Keuchel did everything right today, out-dueling Mark Buehrle over 7 scoreless innings and never allowing a Blue Jay past second base. His line: 7 IP / 4 H / 0 R / 0 ER / 3 BB / 2 K.
*Josh Fields earned a hold for a one-hit, scoreless 8th.
*Then Lo had the roughest outing of his nascent big league career: a single, 3 BB, 2 ER, and a blown save, while recording only one out, on a K.
*Kevin Chapman and Philip Humber got an out apiece to finish up the 9th.
At the Plate:
*Today's (lack of) offensive output was in stark contrast to the previous two games for Houston, but Jonathan Villar was hot nonetheless, going 3 for 4.
*Robbie Grossman's hitting streak is now up to 12 games after he went 2 for 4 with a K today.
*L.J. Hoes was 1 for 4 with a SB and a K.
*Jose Altuve (1 for 4, K) and Brandon Barnes (1 for 3, K) also had a hit apiece.
*No Astro had a RBI, but Matt Dominguez (0 for 3, K) reached on a walk and scored the lone Houston run on a double-play grounder by Jake Elmore (0 for 3).
Turning Point:
With a 1-0 lead going into the 9th, Bo Porter turned the ball over to Chia-Jen Lo. Unfortunately, though, today was not Lo's day, as his outing went walk, single, walk, walk, tying the score at 1. Lo fanned Kevin Pillar before giving way to Kevin Chapman, but a groundout to second by Ryan Goins let the go-ahead run cross the plate. In the bottom of the 9th, a single and two walks - all with two outs - loaded the bases for 31-year-old Cody Clark, making his first big league start. But this was not to be The Rookie 2, and Clark grounded out to end the game.
Man of the Match:
Dallas Keuchel. All over it this afternoon.
Goat of the Game:
Chia-Jen Lo. He's been generally dependable so far, but even the best have their bad days.
