Recap: Astros smote by Angels, drop series

In reality, it wasn't quite as lopsided a game as that final score might indicate. The listlessness of the offense and Jarred Cosart's difficulty commanding his curveball made the game seem to drag on, and the Astros never really looked to be in it from the very first inning.

A bit of a bone-headed play by Jonathan Villar turned an out into a baserunner in the first, and although that wasn't enough to make any of the runs un-earned, things seemed to fall apart there, and Cosart had coughed up three runs by the time the Astros first stepped up to the plate.

After that disastrous 32-pitch first inning, Cosart actually settled in rather nicely, allowing just one more run on two hits and two walks through the next five innings, keeping the team in the game. He averaged just 13.4 pitches per inning after the first. The offense couldn't muster a darn thing in support, though, and after Brad Peacock got knocked around in relief (four earned runs in three innings), the game was well and truly over.

The sole Astros run came via an 8th inning long ball off the bat of Carlos Corporan, into the Crawford Boxes, but it was too little, too late. Aside from that shot, the offense managed just three other hits (Villar, Jesus Guzman and Chris Carter) and an L.J. Hoes walk. C.J. Wilson, starting for the Angels, spun a masterpiece, allowing just the one run on four hits and one walk, with seven strikeouts, in eight innings.

The Astros fell to 3-4 at the end of their opening home stand, and will now head out on the road for the next six games.

Home Stand in Review

Record: 3-4

Rotation ERA: 4.23

Bullpen ERA: 6.57

Runs For/Against: 14 and 36

Astros Runners Stranded: 73

Tomorrow's Matchup

(HOU) LHP Brett Oberholtzer @ (TOR) LHP Mark Buehrle