Nothing quite like ending a long losing streak. Houston finally got win #5 last night holding on to beat the Indians 3-2. Yeah, it was a former Astro that we beat, but that doesn't cheapen things any for me. Some more notes on last night's win:
1) It was nice to see the Astros aggressive on the basepaths for a second straight game. After just one steal in the first 13 games, Houston has had back-to-back 3 steal games. Jose Altuve stole his second base of the season, and Justin Maxwell stole second and third on back-to-back pitches at one point. I think this aggressiveness is going to pay off if we keep it up. It was certainly effective during the spring, and when you don't get a lot of baserunners, you've got to do whatever you can to get them in scoring position.
2) Tough break for J.D. Martinez last night who sprained his knee on a check swing in the 4th inning. J.D. had slugged an opposite field home run in his first at bat, before being forced to leave the game in the middle of at bat. With his roster spot sort of in jeopardy with Fernando Martinez on a rehab stint in Oklahoma City, the timing of the injury certainly isn't good. Hopefully it's nothing too serious, and he'll just be out a couple days, but it certainly doesn't help his rhythm any. On the bright side, Brandon Barnes stepped right in for him and picked up 2 more hits to raise his average up to .350. Barnes, who has some pop, runs very well, and plays terrific defense might now finally get a chance to show his stuff this season.
3) All-or-nothing Ankiel struck again yesterday with his 4th home run of the season. Ankiel is now 6 for 31 with 4 home runs and 21 strikeouts. That means when he hits the ball, he's hitting .600. Which is ridiculous. He's also the team leader in runs batted in with 10. If only he could hit the ball just a LITTLE bit more often...
4) Lucas Harrell earned his first win of the season, but his command failed him again. For the second time this season he walked 5 hitters in a start, and that's just no good. Of the 98 pitches he threw, just 49 were strikes, and it was only thanks to some solid defense behind him that the Astros managed to escape with a win. It continues a trend of shortened outings by Astros starters. Only 4 of 15 Astros starters have made it through a full 6 innings. And that means a bigger load on the bullpen. Granted, last night the pen did what it's supposed to holding the Tribe at bay, but they can't log that many innings over the course of a full season without consequences. In short, the starting pitching has to get better.
5) Jose Veras rebounded from his blown save against the Angels to earn his first save as an Astro last night. Once again though, he failed to set down the side in order which continues to raise my concerns as to whether or not he's the answer for us. Don't get me wrong, the guy's a solid reliever and he's got good stuff, I just don't know that he's a 9th inning guy. Here's a name to keep in the back of your mind moving forward: Josh Zeid. Part of the Hunter Pence trade a few years back, Zeid has been solid in AAA this year fanning 11 in 6 1/3 innings while allowing just 3 hits. He picked up a 4-out save for the RedHawks last night too. Probably too early to give him a shot with the Astros, but certainly a name to remember.
6) Scott Kazmir returns to the Majors today making his first start since 2011. The injury-prone lefty has made 30 or more starts just twice since 2004, but there's never been any doubt about his stuff. Don't be surprised to see Brandon Laird and Brandon Barnes in the lineup to give the Astros a right-handed heavy look.
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