In Battle of Long Balls, Astros Emerge on Top

DQ and I were on the phone during the later portions of tonight's game, and we both agreed that this was one of the more entertaining Astros games this season. I guess six home runs, an ejection, a failed late inning comeback and a one run win equals entertainment. The Astros beat the Twins 6-5 on Saturday, pulling their roadtrip record to 4-4 and putting the team within a Sunday win of a winning road trip.

The Twinkies pushed out on top 2-0 after two innings, after solo home runs by Brendan Harris and Delmon Young. Pudge Rodriguez knocked an RBI double to score Hunter Pence and pulled the Astros to within a run in the fifth. Joe Mauer saw to it that the one run defecit would be extended in the sixth inning, hitting his career high fourteenth home run on the season.

At this point, it looked as if the Twins would hand the ball over to their pen, and the Astros would suffer another close loss. The seventh inning saw the Astros tie the game, and eventually take the lead on Michael Bourn's two run homer. Lance added a solo shot of his own in the eighth putting the Astros up 6-3. That run that would prove to be of extreme importance because Jason Kubel hit the sixth and final home run of this contest in the eighth, drawing the Twins to within 6-5. Fortunately for the Astros, that was as close as Minnesota would get. Jose Valverde slammed the door shut in the ninth for his fourth save of the season.

Color-Man extraordinaire Jim Deshaies noted that if the Astros can at least keep the Brewers within striking distance after their Minute Maid successes, that this would be a successful roadtrip. The Astros' road journey began with a four game defecit in the NL Central. If Houston wins tomorrow, and Milwaukee/St. Louis cooperates with a loss, then everything will be almost exactly as we left it back when the team left the Juice Box over a week ago.

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