Chris Carter’s 30th homerun is a big one

Chris Carter was having a tough Tuesday night at Yankee Stadium. That is, until the ninth inning. Basking in the glow of being named the American League’s Player of the Week, Carter struck out in each of his first four plate appearances. But Chris took advantage of a 3-0 fastball from David Robertson in the ninth inning, launching it deep into the seats for a 3-run homer. Carter’s blast broke a 4-4 tie and propelled Houston to a 7-4 win over the Yankees in the first game of a 3-game series.

Carter becomes the first Astros player to reach 30 homeruns in a season since Lance Berkman and Carlos Lee both turned the trick in 2007.

New York got on the board first against Astros’ starter Brett Oberholtzer. Brian McCann launched a 2-run homer down the rightfield line in the fourth inning to make it 2-0. Houston answered with a run in the fifth and took a 4-2 lead in the sixth when Marwin Gonzalez plated a pair of runs with a pinch-hit single to right.

The Yankees tied it up in the sixth. Martin Prado came through with a 2-run double, chasing Oberholtzer and turning the game into a battle of the bullpens. This time, the Astros’ bullpen was up to the task.

Tony Sipp shut down the Yanks for the next 1 & 2/3 innings. Josh Fields pitched around some trouble in the eighth and picked up the win. Chad Qualls earned his 14th save of the season with a perfect ninth.

The Astros are off to a 3-2 start on what had to be considered the most challenging road trip of the season. Scott Feldman will try to keep the momentum going when he takes the mound tonight. The Yankees counter with 25-year old right-hander Michael Pineda.