The Astros make it four losses in a row to open the season for the second year in a row with an 8-2 loss at Cincinnati.
*With the Brewers winning against Atlanta last night, the Astros are the only remaining National League team without a win.
*The Astros got down 7-0 before putting two on the board in the 5th. This includes a 3-0 Reds lead at the end of the 1st, and a 5-0 Reds lead at the end of the 2nd.
*They've been outscored 12-0 in the first three innings of games this season.
*The Constable said he would post something about this later today, but Happ just didn't look right. He couldn't find the strike zone with a beach ball. Happ, not The Constable. After getting Richard Justice's hero, Drew Stubbs, to ground out on the second pitch of the game, it took 24 pitches to record the next out. In between, he allowed two singles and three walks.
*Happ hadn't allowed three runs in the first inning since his second game as an Astro, when he gave up four runs to the Cardinals on August 4, 2010.
*If we do something completely meaningless, in Happ's last two starts - his last of the 2010 season, and his 2011 opener - he has posted a line of 7IP, 15H/14ER, 5K:10BB.
*Happ issued a one-out bases-loaded walk to Chris Heisey, scoring Joey Votto, and then in the 2nd, hit Heisey with a pitch, scoring Brandon Phillips.
*Meanwhile, the bullpen recorded 4IP, 3H/1ER, 3K:0BB - getting perfect innings from Wilton Lopez and Brandon Lyon.
*Lyon got two of the seven groundball outs of the night.
*In the meantime, the offense looked pretty terrible. Mike Leake needed 10 pitches to get out of the first, getting five strikes while the Astros watched the ball come in.
*Of Leake's 59 strikes, 17 of them were looking.
*Angel Sanchez provided the only runs of the game, getting a 5th inning single to score Chris Johnson and Michael Bourn. Bourn (2x4) and Sanchez (1x3) were the only Astros to get on base twice. Sanchez and Quintero drew your only walks of the game - but both were in the 3rd inning.
*Bill Hall was 0x3 with a K, putting him at 1x15 on the season, with 6K:0BB on the season. Hall has had one plate appearance that got to three balls, and he struck out in that one.
*Of Hall's 6K, three of them have come after taking a first-pitch ball.
Man of the Match: Angel Sanchez, I guess.
Goat of the Game: J.A. Happ.
We didn't come out here to play tiddlywinks, son.
-Hal Smith
