Obviously you can see from the title that the Astros beat the Braves tonight, 6-1 in Atlanta with Chris Sampson going 5 strong innings while allowing just 2 hits, 1 ERA, 2 strike outs and walking none(and not to mention him getting a hit in his only at bat). Not too bad for a guy who was recently removed from his starters role to the bullpen. Cooper had a pretty short leash on Sampson tonight allowing him to throw just 55 pitches... but that was all he needed to get through 5 innings and Cooper then handed the game over to the bullpen. I'm not real sure that would have been my move after seeing Sampson bounce back from a lead off home run in the 5th to get the next 3 batters in order... but it worked out in the end... so I can't fault them much.
Ty Wigginton made an appearance in the 1 hole tonight for the Astros and although he went without getting a hit, he still got on base 2 out of his 5 times up to the plate and scored a run... we got to see something from the 1 hole that we have very rarely seen this season... a batter who works a count and actually draws walks!!! You also have to give a lot of credit to Mark Loretta(who is hands down the player of the game) for his effort tonight by going 3 for 4 with 4 RBI's and 3 doubles. I always mention how Loretta is usually good for a single... well, not tonight. 3 hits, no singles...
I liked the lineup tonight and hope we see some more of Wigginton batting 1st...