Is this getting old yet? Astros lose 4-2 at Beck's Stadium.
*That's the 5th straight loss for the Astros - for the second time this season. More trends, you ask? Okay. That's six losses in seven games. They're 2-10 in their last 12 games, since winning three straight for the first time this season. With this loss, they equal their mark after 44 games in 2010.
*Citizen JRayTheGreat noted that the Astros are 40 games under .500 since the "Home Game" no-hitter at Miller Park.
*J.A. Happ got his 5th loss of the season - setting a career high - despite throwing 6IP, 4H/3ER, 8K:3BB - one of those walks were intentional. It's Happ's third straight Quality Start, and fourth in his last five starts.
*The 8Ks are the highest since Happ struck out ten Rockies on August 5, 2009.
*In his last three starts, Happ has allowed 15H/7ER, 15K:10BB in 18IP.
*Happ allowed the first two runs in the 2nd inning when Allen Craig singled to lead off the inning, Colby Rasmus walked, and Gerald Laird doubled. He had both Rasmus and Laird at 0-2 before their respective successes. The Rasmus AB was the first time this season that Happ walked a batter after getting them to an 0-2 count.
*After scoring two runs total in their last two games, the Astros doubled that! They've now scored <2 runs in four straight games, and since scoring seven runs the last time they won - on May 14 - the Astros have scored 10 runs (five games).
*The Astros got six hits on the day. It's the fourth straight game they've had single digit hits, and the 24 hits over the past four games are just one more than they got in the final two games of the series against the Mets. Between May 4-13, the Astros got single digit hits in all of those nine games. They only had seven extra-base hits in this four-game road trip.
*Hunter Pence got two hits on the day, both singles. It's been 32PAs since Pence had an extra-base hit.
*Humberto Quintero was 2x3 with a double. After getting four hits in 36 PAs from April 29 - May 16, he now has four hits in his last six PAs.
*Chris Johnson was 0x4 with 3Ks, snapping a five-game hitting streak. It's his first 3K game since all the way back on April 29. He did go 11PAs without a strikeout, his longest stretch since July 28-Aug 2, 2010, when he went 17PAs without a K.
*Hey, Clint Barmes got a double! In the #2 spot! So that means Astros' #2 hitters are 2x40 since May 7.
*Bill Hall was 0x3 with a(nother) K, seeing nine pitches in three PAs. He now has a strikeout in seven straight games. That's the longest streak he's had since May 2-10, 2008 (eight games).
*Man of the Match: J.A. Happ
*Goat of the Game: Chris Johnson, who struck out as the game-tying run to end the game, and didn't get the ball out of the infield.
We didn't come out here to play tiddlywinks, son.
-Hal Smith
