Brian McTaggart reported before the game that virtually every team in contention for Wandy Rodriguez was at Busch Stadium tonight, and the Astros' lefty certainly did not disappoint in what could have been his last start with Houston.
He threw seven solid innings, allowing just one earned run and striking out six. Rodriguez was very impressive in that he retired the last 13 batters he faced and settled down nicely after surrendering a run in the third. I recently wrote an article about Wandy's value over at SB Nation Houston, and it's becoming more and more likely that he will be dealt before Sunday's trade deadline. I think his last two road starts (tonight and last Saturday at Wrigley) were very good ones, and it's nice that his career as an Astro could potentially end with a strong finish.
In a more shocking development, Carlos Lee looks to be regaining his power stroke with another home run tonight. He's now hit three homers so far in this road trip, and it's great to see this power surge. While it probably isn't enough to justify any team trading for him at this point, it's a nice sign that he could be counted on to rack up some RBIs if Hunter Pence does get traded. Lee has hit .322 for the month of July, and he's been able to get a lot more loft on his hard-hit balls.
Back-to-back saves from Melancon in which he had to face Pujols each time also deserves some recognition, and it could go a long way in settling him into a groove with frequent save opportunities.
Heck, back-to-back wins deserves mentioning too. Solid overall effort from the team tonight, it was an enjoyable game to watch.