Streak Ends In 6-4 Loss

Don't shoot! It's just a retro jersey
(c) Associated Press
Hopefully, the Astros haven't seen their longest winning streak of the season come and go but we all knew it had to end some time. Houston's three-game surge was halted Tuesday night, 6-4, appropriately enough while wearing the uniforms of the dear-departed Colt .45s. The Atlanta Braves (who were based in Milwaukee 50 years ago) was helped by homers from Chipper Jones and Tyler Pastornicky to beat Kyle Weiland for Atlanta's first win of the season and only the second loss on the young campaign for the Astros.

A single by Marwin Gonzalez gave Houston the early lead off Tommy Hanson but the Braves tallied three in the third, including a two-run shot by the soon-to-be-retired Jones, and added another run in the fourth on the homer by Pastornicky.

Houston got an RBI single from Carlos Lee in the fifth and, after the Braves scored in the seventh off David Carpenter, added two more runs from Lee and Chris Johnson. Atlanta got an insurance run in the eighth and the Astros couldn't get the big hit they needed late to come back although they had their chances.

Chris Snyder struck out with two on to end the seventh. J.D. Martinez struck out with two aboard in the eighth and, with the winning run at the plate in the ninth, Johnson tapped into a double play and Snyder grounded out to end it.

Lee and Jordan Schafer both had three hits while Johnson and Jose Altuve each had two but the Atlanta pitchers did just enough to pull out the win.

The rubber game of the series will be Wednesday night at 7:05 Central as Wandy Rodriguez (0-1) will get his second start of the homestand against Randall Delgado, one of the top prospects Ed Wade couldn't get when he was offering Hunter Pence and Michael Bourn last July.