Hernandez: Tossing blanks
(c) Associated Press
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My nickname for Brian Bixler is "Bill Bixby", the meek everyman who transforms into bodybuilder Lou Ferrigno in the old "Incredible Hulk" television series but I guess he deserves more respect now. Bixler drilled a three-run walk-off home run to give Houston a 6-5 triumph in ten innings against the Philadelphia Phillies on Tuesday.
Bixler belted his blast off Jeremy Horst to cap a busy four innings where the utility infielder pinch-ran in the seventh, stole a base and scored to tie the game at 2-2 then singled home the tying run in the eighth to make it 3-3 before his heroics at the end.
Enerio Del Rosario had given up a two-run homer to Domonic Brown in the top half of the tenth, making Bixler's three-run one-out poke afterwards all the more dramatic.
Livan Hernandez had his best effort of the spring, tossing five shutout innings on five hits. Carlos Lee had a pair of doubles while J. D. Martinez and Angel Sanchez had two hits each in the 12-hit attack.
J.A. Happ will look to improve on Wednesday when he faces the St. Louis Cardinals in Jupiter. Lance Lynn will pitch for the Redbirds in the 12:05 Central start.
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