The Astros grabbed their first series win Sunday over the Florida Marlins with a 5-1 victory. It’s too early to jump for joy, especially since the Marlins are one of the most inexperienced teams in the majors.
Starting pitching continues to be the biggest surprise of the young season. Lefty Wandy Rodriguez threw another gem at home to get the rotation their second win in as many days. He pitched seven innings allowing only one run and striking out seven.
The Astros played once again without regular third baseman Ty Wigginton, who was moved to the 15-day disabled list. Hunter Pence was also given a much-needed afternoon off after scuffling through the first two weeks of the season. Michael Bourn hit his first home run as an Astro and rookie catcher J.R. Towles hit his third bomb of the season, which is about two more than the Astros are accustomed to getting from the catcher’s spot.
The lone piece of bad news from the afternoon was Towles getting hit in the wrist with a pitch. He left the game to get x-rays and is listed as day-to-day. That’s not a big issue since veteran Brad Ausmus can capably fill in.
The outlook on the season continues to brighten as the bats start to heat up. As long as the pitching stays the way it has been and ace Roy Oswalt’s struggles aren’t injury-related, the Astros should be in a for a successful season.
The Astros have a day off before traveling to Philadelphia to face former closer Brad Lidge and the Phillies. It should be interesting to see if the Astros can beat him around just like everyone else did the last two seasons while he was in Houston. Keep the good weather coming and I’ll see you at Minute Maid Park next weekend.
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