Lance Lynn (10-1, 3.42) vs Erik Bedard (2-3, 4.43)
Split a series against the top team in baseball? I'll take it. After last night's butt kicking, and after two batters today, hopes weren't very high for Houston. But the Astros once again made the most of the offense they managed, and this time they had the pitching to back it up. Astros beat the Cardinals 4-3, improving to 30-49 on the season.
On the Mound:
*Erik Bedard allowed a single on the game's first pitch, and a two-run homer on pitch #2, but only another solo HR dinged him after that. It turned into Bedard's third straight quality start, and he finished with a 6 IP / 7 H / 3 R / 3 ER / 1 BB / 6 K line.
*Josh Fields (0.2 IP, K) and Wesley Wright (0.1 IP, K) combined on a perfect 7th.
*Jose Cisnero allowed only a one-out walk in a scoreless 8th.
*Jose Veras had a little drama in the 9th, allowing a single and a walk with one out to put the go-ahead run on base, but a K and a fly out locked down his 16th save.
At the Plate:
*Houston only managed 5 hits against Lance Lynn, and no Astro had more than one, but 4 of those came in the 4th, good for all 4 Houston runs.
*Brett Wallace has already doubled his hit total from his first stint in Houston this season, going 1 for 4 with a RBI single, a run, and a K.
*Brandon Barnes also had a RBI single, going 1 for 3.
*Chris Carter doubled and scored a run, going 1 for 3 with a BB and a K.
*Jason Castro was 1 for 3 with a run scored and a walk.
*Jose Altuve's newest hitting streak is now up to 7 games, as he went 1 for 4 with a R and a K.
*Carlos Pena was 0 for 2 with 2 BB and a K, but one of those walks was with the bases loaded, good for a RBI.
*J.D. Martinez was 0 for 4, but had the other RBI on a fielder's choice.
Turning Point:
Houston was down 3-0 and without a hit when they started the bottom of the 4th. Jose Altuve and Jason Castro started the inning with back-to-back singles, then back-to-back walks to Chris Carter and Carlos Pena got the Astros on the board. A J.D. Martinez grounder scored Castro to make it 3-2, then Brett Wallace singled to tie the game. One out later, Brandon Barnes also singled, pushing Houston ahead 4-3 for good.
Man of the Match:
Erik Bedard. After last night's atrocities, great job by the entire Houston staff tonight.
Goat of the Game:
We beat the Cardinals. No goat!
