When you get good pitching performances by your lower end of the rotation pitchers, you need to win the game.  Backe pitched decent tonight giving up just 2 earned runs over 5 1/3 innings, striking out 5 and walking 4.  In the 6th, Cooper went to the bullpen putting in Geary who finished off the 6th, but evidently should have stayed on the bench after that.  In the 7th he gave up a 2 run home run to Braun which tied the game at 4.  Then in the 8th, Cooper gave the ball to Brocail who likewise gave up 2 runs to earn the loss and send the Astros into a rubber game tomorrow.

Cooper started off the game with a new lineup that he hasn't thrown out yet this season.  The biggest change in the lineup was moving Miguel Tejada(who had been hitting 5th) to the 2 hole and putting Bourn back down in the 7th spot.  Cooper stated that the reason for the move was to try and get Tejada some better pitches to hit batting in front of Lance Berkman.  Well, Tejada went 4 for 4 on the night with a run scored.  This marked Tejada's 3rd 4-hit game of the season and just his 1st since April 22nd.  The 4-4 night today broke a 4 game streak(19 AB's) in which Tejada went without a hit.   I'm not sure if the move really sparked Tejada... but it didn't hurt. 

That Astros did something tonight that doesn't happen all too often.  They out hit and out homered the Brewers(14-7 on hits and 2-1 on home runs).  Unfortunately they didn't take a walk and gave up 6 to the Brewers. 

Randy Wolf takes the hill tomorrow as his first time as a starter.  I picked up up on my fantasy team and have him scheduled to pitch... here's hoping he gets me 50 pints.