Michaels: Fives for slam
(c) Associated Press
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The Milwaukee Brewers are probably dead tired of seeing lefties thrown at them. The Astros started three straight and came away with a sweep with a 5-2 finale Sunday afternoon. Don't look now, but the Astros are now just a half-game behind Chicago for fourth place in the division and two back of Milwaukee for third.
Wesley Wright had his best outing as a starter, retiring the first 12 Brewers and tossed five innings of shutout ball before Corey Hart powered a two-run blast into the right field seats in the sixth. Wright left after seven but the Houston offense came through to give him his first big league win this season.
Randy Wolf was doing his usual brilliance at Minute Maid until Hunter Pence slammed a line drive off Wolf's left wrist. Wolf had to leave and Kameron Loe could not find the plate, tossing eight straight balls to load to bases before Zach Braddock took over. Braddock's third pitch to pinch-hitter Jason Michaels sailed into the Crawford Boxes for a grand slam that gave Houston the win.
Pence got an insurance run when he tripled off Todd Coffey in the eighth and scored on Rickie Weeks' overthrow.
New first baseman Brett Wallace got hit first major league hit, a bloop single to left in the fifth against Wolf, but was stranded at third.
The Astros take their season-best five-game winning streak to St. Louis for a Monday matchup with the Cardinals. Brett Myers (8-6), with a new two-year contract (plus club option) in hand, will pitch in the 7:15 Central start against Jake Westbrook (6-7). The Astros are now a lofty eight games (28-20) above .500 in the division and three games over .500 (28-25) since June 1st.
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