Houston lost their 3rd game in a row on Friday in game 1 against the Milwaukee Brewers, 5-1. The Brew crew victory helps Milwaukee climb back into the NL Central race as they now sit just 2.5 games back from taking 3rd place from Houston. The loss gives the Astros a 30-26 record and keeps them in the middle of the pack of their division.
The offense once again went cold in this one putting together enough hits to get just 1 run. The solo RBI came off the bat of catcher J.R. Towles who went 1-for-2 hitting a double with 1 RBI and 1 walk. The RBI is his 14th of the season and his batting average is at an ugly .149. There wasn’t much more production from the other hitters but Hunter Pence went 1-for-4 with the lone run scored. His batting average now sits at a strong .303 on the season. Lance Berkman went 2-for-4 in the game but failed to get any runners across. As a team Houston left 10 runners on base and 6 were left in scoring position with 2 outs.
Brandon Backe took the mound for the Astros and had a rough outing. He worked 5 innings giving up 6 hits, 5 runs, all earned, 1 walk and 3 homers. He was given the loss for the team bringing his record to 4-6 this season with a 4.54 ERA. Oscar Villarreal, Chris Sampson and Wesley Wright pitched the final 3 innings giving up a combined 3 hits and getting a total of 3 Ks. If Houston could have got this kind of production from the starter they may have squeaked out of Milwaukee with a win.
Not a good way to start a series especially since the Brewers are still fighting to get in the NL Central race. Game 2 will take place on Saturday, look for Houston to get the bats going as they have been silent for the last 3 losses.
