They are Our Astros. And These Astros get blanked by the Pirates, 1-0.
*It's the 2nd time this season the Astros have been shutout. You have to go all the way back to July 18, 2010 to find the last time the Astros were shutout by the Pirates, when Paul Maholm beat Roy Oswalt in a 9-0 win.
*After going 11-4 against Pittsburgh in 2010, the Astros drop to 1-3 against the Pirates in 2011, losing their last three, and getting outscored 12-5.
*On this (now) eight-game homestand, the Astros are 2-6.
*Bud Norris threw a gem, allowing 6H/1ER, 9K:2BB in 7IP, and getting the loss. Since May 19, Norris has thrown 43IP, 26H/10ER, 26K:14BB.
*Norris had a Game Score of 68, and lost. It's the fourth time this season that an Astros starter has had a Game Score of 65 or higher and taken the loss (Wandy, Happ, Aneury, and now Norris).
*The bullpen of Del Rosario (0.1IP), Escalona (0.2IP), and Rodriguez (1IP) combined to allow 0H/0ER, 2K:3BB.
*The pitching staff, as a whole, held the Pirates to 1x11 w/RISP.
*The Astros "offense" got four hits on the night - all singles. It's the first time they've been held to four hits since Tommy Hanson's first lights-out game against the Astros, on May 16.
*Hunter Pence's 23-game hit streak came to an end, going 0x4 on the night, after flying out to right, flying out to center, flying out to center, and grounding out to 2nd in the bottom of the 9th.
*Your four hits came from the 4-7 spots (Lee, Keppinger, Wallace, and Johnson). Matt Downs drew the only walk of the night.
*It's hardly worth mentioning, but Jason Michael's 0x1 pinch-hit appearance drops him to 1x21 as a pinch-hitter (.048/.167/.048).
*That's about all I can muster.
*Man of the Match: Bud Norris
*Goat of the Game: Ed Wade
We didn't come out here to play tiddlywinks, son.
-Hal Smith
