Houston won the final game of the 3 game set against the Tampa Bay Rays, 3-2. The series victory is the first the ‘Stros can claim since the one over the Cubs on May 19-21. They now look at a record of 35-41 but still sit near the cellar of the NL Central.
Houston was down until the 6th inning when they took the 3-2 lead, which ended up being the final. Carlos Lee once again played well for the Astros going 1-for-4 including a homer with 2 RBI and a run scored. He now has his batting average up to .276 with 17 homers for the year. Hunter Pence also went deep going 1-for-4 with 1 RBI and a run scored. His RBI total now sits at 37 with 10 homers.
Brandon Backe was given the start for the Astros and pitched a solid game. He worked 6.2 inning allowing 6 hits, 2 runs, 4 walks and 5 K’s. He earned the win for his club bringing his record to 5-8 with an ERA of 4.82. The next 3 relievers that entered the game all recorded holds for their effort as none of them allowed a hit or a run. Jose Valverde came in to close out the game and did just that bringing his save total to 18.
A solid win for the Astros getting a series victory for the first time in nearly a month. They will get a day off on Monday and open up a 3 game series with the Texas Rangers on Tuesday.
