It was a frustrating night all in all for our Astros tonight. Kevin Millwood was great- striking out six in seven innings. He looked like an ace tonight. Going into the game, I was skeptical of him. He doesn't have great stuff, and he doesn't strike guys out. He sure made our hitters look foolish tonight though. Wandy Rodriguez couldn't match his performance, not by a long shot. He was erratic, not locating his pitches well, and allowed three home runs. A scuffling Rangers offense got the revitalizing tonic they needed tonight in the Astros lefthanded starter.
After Pudge Rodriguez got the Astros on the board in the fifth inning, no runners would cross home plate for the remainder of the game. Alberto Arias continued to impress, striking out three in as many innings. Jason Jennings was likewise as impressive in finishing out the final two innings for Texas.
This loss puts the Astros at 2-2 through four games of their nine game road trip. The Diamondback pitchers, save Dan Haren, made Houston's offense look good. It's like sitting next to an ugly person and thinking yourself better looking by comparison. Jon Garland and Billy Buckner are the two dudes with guts wearing Members Only jackets that boost your self esteem. A trip to Arlington used to mean facing a staff of those kind of stuck in the 80s homely guys. Not the case anymore. Ranger pitchers may not be top notch, but they're above Members Only quality.
Texas will go for the series win tomorrow, after clinching the Silver Boot tonight. Russ Ortiz for the block.