Brian Moehler tried to remember the last time he was at the plate and three runs scored. "Not very often, I guess," the Houston Astros right-hander said. Moehler pitched six strong innings and hit a grounder that led to the Astros completing a six-run inning in a 7-1 win over the San Diego Padres on Wednesday night.
The loss of Adrian Gonzalez dampened a comeback win by the Padres. Gonzalez left with a strained right knee during San Diego's 4-3 victory over the Houston Astros on Tuesday night and it's uncertain whether the All-Star first baseman will miss any time. "We'll see how I wake up," said Gonzalez, the Padres' top hitter.
Roy Oswalt is rounding into form. The Houston Astros' ace dominated the San Diego Padres again, pitching a two-hitter and retiring his final 18 batters in a 3-1 victory Monday night. It was Oswalt's 17th career complete game and second in three outings. "I feel better than I did at the beginning of the season," Oswalt said.
The Houston Astros placed pitcher Brandon Backe on waivers Monday. The 31-year-old right-hander, who is 0-0 with a 10.38 ERA in 13 innings for the Astros this season, rejected an assignment to Triple-A Round Rock. He will likely become a free agent and receive all of his $1.5 million salary after three days.
Brandon Inge knew what pitch was coming, and he salvaged the Detroit Tigers' final game in Houston with a single swing. Inge hit a two-run homer off Jose Valverde with two outs in the ninth inning and the Tigers averted a sweep with a 4-3 win over the Astros on Sunday. Kaz Matsui's RBI double off Edwin Jackson in the seventh gave Houston a 3-2 lead.
Houston manager Cecil Cooper thought Felipe Paulino could develop into a good pitcher for the Astros. But even he was a bit surprised at just how good the rookie right-hander was Saturday night. Paulino pitched seven solid innings and the Astros used a five-run third to pull away from the Detroit Tigers for an 8-1 victory.
Houston's Lance Berkman needed to drive in one run to become the third player in franchise history to reach 1,000 RBIs. The Astros needed all of the season-high four RBIs he had on a pair of homers to overcome an error-filled day and beat the Kansas City Royals 5-4 on Thursday. He reached the milestone on his first at-bat, a two-run shot to far left field that gave Houston a 2-1 lead and put...
Miguel Olivo had some inside information when he went to the plate against Jeff Fulchino in the 11th inning Wednesday night. And he used it to his advantage. Olivo homered on the first pitch from the former Royal, whom he caught last season, to give Kansas City a 4-3 victory over the Houston Astros. "I know what he's got," Olivo said.
Nearly an hour before the gates to KeySpan Park even opened Tuesday, the line stretched for two blocks down Surf Avenue, near the Coney Island boardwalk. Fans waited for the prized possession: a Barack Obama bobblehead. For one night, the Class A Brooklyn Cyclones renamed themselves the Baracklyn Cyclones, in tribute to the new president.