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Let's be honest. This game was just prelude to the drama tonight. As preludes go, it wasn't terribly entertaining, even as Bud Norris continued to pitch very well.
Norris threw seven innings but took the loss. He gave up nine hits and three runs with one walk but struck out seven. Unfortunately, those three runs proved too much for the Astros to overcome, as Miguel Gonzalez was even better for the Orioles.
After exploding for six home runs on Wednesday, the Astros offense was very quiet, as they only managed six hits off the Orioles hitters and didn't score after the bottom of the first inning. J.D. Martinez drove in Houston's only run and Jason Castro had the team's only double, going 1 for 3 with a walk and raising his average to .272.
On the bad side of the ledger, Jimmy Paredes got the start in right field with disastrous results. He struck out four times in the second spot in the lineup and had another fielding gaffe. Which means Houston should totally take Kris Bryant and plug him into right field tomorrow, right? Or, that Justin Maxwell should get better really, really quickly so Brandon Barnes can slide over to right when he comes back.
Other than that, this was par for the course for the Astros pre-winning streak. What did you think? Anyone watching the game or go to the game who wasn't simultaneously thinking about the draft too?
