The Astro’s took the 2nd and final game of the series against the Cincinnati Reds in a 5-3 victory. The win brings their record to 11-12 this season and leaves them just 1 game away from breaking into .500 territory. The W also brings them into 4th place in th NL Central above the Pittsburgh Pirates and Cincinnati Reds.
The offense wasn’t as much of a force in this game as they had been in the last few but they did record the timely hits they needed to take the win. They put together 9 hits including 4 extra base hits off Reds new star Johnny Cueto. Lance Berkman had a very good game going 3-for-3 with 3 RBI and 1 runs scored. 2 of the RBI came from a jack he hit in the 1st inning giving the ‘Stros a 2 run lead. He has 6 homers this season and now has his batting average at .325. Hunter Pence also had a strong game going 2-for-4 with 1 run scored. He is starting to collect hits and has brought his batting average to a solid .268. Darrin Erstad went 1-for-4 with 1 RBI and a run scored. He now has 4 RBI on this season and his average is at .286.
Jack Cassel made his season debut for Houston and played a very respectable game. He worked 5 innings allowed 7 hits, 3 runs and he struck out 1. He earned the win for the Astros bringing his record to 1-0 and his ERA at 5.40. Jose Valverde came in to get the save and did just that earning his 3rd of the season striking out 2 in the process. Johnny Cueto got the start for the Reds looking to continue his strong performances. He worked 7 innings allowing 8 5 runs, all earned, walked 2 and gave up a homer. He was given the loss for the game making it his 2nd loss in a row. His record is now 1-2 and his ERA has climbed to 4.05.
The Astro’s are showing some strong improvements both on pitching and hitters. The pitching hasn’t become as much of a liability as many people thought, including me. It great news and are now making their way to becoming a contender in their division.
