Brett Oberholtzer (0-1, 4.76) vs Mark Buehrle (1-0, 0.00)
0x14 with runners in scoring position. 10 men left on base. The Astros outhit the Blue Jays tonight 9 to 5, but with that many missed opportunities, it becomes awfully difficult to win. For the fifth time this season, Houston managed 2 runs or fewer, and so for the fifth time, they lost. 5-2 Toronto tonight, and the Astros are now 3-5 overall.
On the Mound:
*Brett Oberholtzer only allowed 3 hits in his 5+ innings, but like Jarred Cosart on Monday afternoon, walks also got him into trouble. Toronto made much more efficient use of their offensive opportunities, and so Obie ended up with a 5.1 IP / 3 H / 3 R / 3 ER / 3 BB / 3 K line.
*Josh Zeid arrived from OKC and turned got the final two outs of the 6th, but he did give up a double to Dioner Navarro that allowed one of Oberholtzer's walks to score.
*Kevin Chapman allowed only one hit while striking out the side in the 7th - but that one hit was a Melky Cabrera home run, and it followed a walk, resulting in two Toronto runs.
*Josh Fields walked two of his own in the 8th, but he managed to escape unscathed with a scoreless inning.
At the Plate:
*Plenty of hits, but none at the right time. Jose Altuve led the way with a big day, going 3x5 with a double, a RBI and a K.
*Chris Carter has yet to go deep so far, but 4 of his 5 hits now are doubles, after he went 2x4 with 2 doubles, a run, and a K tonight.
*Matt Dominguez also had a double, and a RBI on a sac fly, finishing 1x3 with a K.
*Jesus Guzman (1x4, 3 K), L.J. Hoes (1x3, BB), and Alex Presley (1x3) also had hits.
*Robbie Grossman (0x3, 2 BB, K) and Jonathan Villar (0x3, R, BB, K) both went hitless, but each got a SB on a double steal in the 7th.
Turning Point:
Even with all the missed chances, Houston remained within striking distance down 3-2 following the 7th inning stretch. Kevin Chapman struck out the first two batters of the inning, then walked Jonathan Diaz, bringing Melky Cabrera to the plate. Chapman got Cabrera in an 0-2 hole, but one hanging slider later, Cabrera had his fourth home run of the season, and the Blue Jays had put the game out of reach.
Man of the Match:
Jose Altuve. Broke an 0x10 emphatically tonight.
Goat of the Game:
The Astros offense in general, but Jason Castro was perhaps the worst offender - 0x4 with 6 LOBsters.
