Astros come close but lose series with 5-1 defeat

Justin Maxwell came within a fingertip, literally, of making one of the best catches of the season but instead Matt Treanor hit a rare homerun that would be the difference in a 5-1 Dodgers’ win. That play pretty much summed up the series for the Astros, very close to winning it but having to settle for only one win this weekend. J.A. Happ gave up a number of hits but also had the strikeout pitch working, overall pitching well but Chris Capuano was just better. The offense was shut down, Altuve lead off the game with a triple and scored but that was pretty much it. Overall, the Stros showed themselves a challenge and pushed the Dodgers in their park, which will have to be good enough for now.

J.A. Happ had 10 strikeouts and allowed only 3 runs, that should spell victory on most occasions. Overall a good performance by the lefty coming off his best start of the season. The Astros bullpen, for the 2nd night in a row, could not control the Dodgers late and gave up crucial runs. Xavier Cedeno made his Astros debut but it didn’t go very well as he walked in a crucial 3rd run. Justin Maxwell had a homerun ball within his grasp but could not make the catch. Overall, not a bad day for the staff but certainly a frustrating one, to say the least.

The offense was kept in check by Chris Capuano and the Dodgers’ bullpen. The Astros ended up with two hits and only one after a leadoff triple by, guess who, Jose Altuve. I’d love to be more positive than that but the reality is, the Stros had zero offense going today. These days happen and should just be shrugged off, good pitching just happens. I will say, the Stros started three players who are batting under .200, not including the pitcher. Matt Downs, Chris Snyder and Justin Maxwell are all struggling and need to wake up soon. The Stros go to Colorado for a rare double-header on Monday, with Jordan Lyles starting game 2.