Houston wasted a quality start from Philip Humber and arguably the best showing we've had from the bullpen all season as the Astros were shut out for the third time in the past week, dropping their sixth game in a row by a score of 3-0 in Seattle. Some notes from Game 7:
1) This game was a perfect example of how you don't need a lot of hits to get a win. Seattle had just 5 hits in the game, but produced 3 runs thanks to good fundamentals (two successful bunts), good baserunning (a stolen base to set up the game's first run), and timely hitting (2 clutch hits by Kendrys Morales). The Astros, in 7 games, have yet to lay down a successful sacrifice or attempt a stolen base, and the 3 shutout losses speaks to their inability to get timely hits.
2) I'm a real fan of the work Matty Dominguez is doing over at the hot corner. His defense has been absolutely terrific so far this season, and he's generally had solid approaches at the plate striking out just twice in 21 at-bats. With Brett Wallace mired in an abysmal slump, it looks less and less like the possibility of a platoon over there meaning Dominguez is going to get a long look this season.
3) Humber became just the second Astros starter in seven games this season to pitch through the sixth inning. He threw just 86 pitches, 56 of them for strikes and allowed just five hits and a walk. That makes back-to-back solid outings for the righty, but unfortunately the Astros offense has scored a total of ZERO runs in his two starts.
4) I'm baffled somewhat by how a guy like Rhiner Cruz can throw so hard, and have so few strikeouts. Cruz finally logged his first strikeout of the season last night, and he's already thrown 4 1/3 innings on the year. I don't know if he's tipping his pitches, or if his stuff just didn't have any life, but he's not missing nearly as many bats as he should be.
5) Justin Maxwell, one of the Astros lone offensive bright spots singled in the first to extend his hitting streak to 5 games. After hitting just .153 this spring, Maxwell has hit safely in every game this season with the exception of the Darvish game, and leads the team in runs (5), hits (9), walks (2), triples (2) and batting average (.360).
6) I'd like to see Brandon Barnes start getting some more playing time. We all know about his defense, but he also brings an element of speed to the table, and he's been getting on base lately (2 hits and 2 walks in 3 starts). With Ankiel looking like he'd have a hard time hitting a beachball with a tennis racket, J.D. Martinez getting benched for "mental errors", and Chris Carter struggling on both sides of the ball, it would seem like Barnes is due for an opportunity.
7) Seattle's bullpen is filthy. Carter Capps, Charlie Furbush and Tom Wilhelmsen all had plus stuff and effectively sealed any hopes of an Astros comeback last night. By contrast, the Astros pen has an ERA of 5.18 on the year. Although, they did shut down Seattle's offense in the late innings last night, so maybe they'll turn things around. In their last 10 innings, the Houston bullpen has only allowed 2 runs.
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