Boston 9 (W: Allen Webster 3-1) Houston 4 (L: Scott Feldman 6-9)
Contributed by Mr. Happy
This game reminded me of eating fast food. What tastes so good at the very first bite morphs before long into that lasting bad taste in your mouth as you realize that you’ve just eaten processed fat, which is why I no longer can eat fast food. Call me an old fart, because I now qualify.
The Astros jumped on the youngster Allen Webster in the second frame, plating one to take an early 1-0 lead. The Astros extended that lead in the third inning to 2-0 on a single up the middle by Robbie Grossman, who incredibly would pick up an assist with his inaccurate noodle arm at the plate via the Piranha. Of course, if it’s that dump truck Napoli running, should that really count as an assist? I think not. But I digress…
The Astros doubled the lead to 4-0 on Matt Dominguez’s 14th dinger, which completed the Astros scoring for the evening. Despite his great defense and occasional power, we need more production out of the hot corner. I’m not sure that Dominguez is the long term answer there. The BoSox got one back in the bottom of the fourth, as Feldman’s bend-but-don’t-break style finally got nicked on a Yoenis Cespedes twin killing, which plated Pedroia. The game would stay at 4-1 until the fateful sixth inning.
You’d think that armed with a 4-1 lead and your alleged no. 1 starter on the hill in the sixth frame, you’ve got a really good chance of winning the game. However, in this game, you’d be deadass wrong. Feldman turned into a fucking pinball machine, allowing six of seven Red Sox players to reach base, three of whom scored, before the merciful hook came out in favor of feast or famine (mostly famine) Darin Downs. Personally, I don’t care for Downs, and I don’t get how and why Porter uses him so often in close games.
Not desirous of ruining the Red Sox love fest, Downs allowed two out of three to reach and two inherited runners to score before the hook came out in favor of flame-throwing rookie Mike Foltynewicz. Dustin Pedroia greeted the young hurler with a ground rule two bagger, plating the sixth and seventh runs of that inning for the home nine. The Red Sox added a single run in the eighth inning to complete the scoring.
I don’t know about you, but I pine for a real no. 1 starter, like the Astros of yore had in spades. A real snot-slinging shutdown inning eater. All’s I know is that it ain’t Feldman, who allowed 11 baserunners in his 5.1 frames. At his best, with the wind at his back, Feldman is a 3, but he usually is a 3/4.
T: 3:19.
Att: 38,065