Astros waste another brilliant pitching performance, lose to the Phillies 4-3 on bullpen collapse

Good news, Houston Astros fans. Last night, Shawn Chacon pitched a brilliant game, giving up no runs in eight innings.

So, what’s the bad news? The bullpen couldn’t hold the lead. Closer Jose Valverde gave up four runs in the ninth inning while getting only one out as the Phillies beat the Astros 4-3. It was Valverde’s second blown save of the season. In the inning, two of the hits he gave up were home runs. The other hit was a walk-off double. It’s interesting to note that Valverde actually had two strikeouts in the inning, but the second was on a passed ball that allowed what turned out to be the winning run to be safe at first.

Pitching today for Houston is Roy Oswalt. Roy O is 0-3, which seems almost like a belated April Fool’s Day joke. I like to think he’s just off to a rough start and will soon regain his groove.

Houston outhit Philadelphia 9-7, but Philly had three extra-base hits to Houston’s zero.

It's a shame...when Phillies slugger Ryan Howard goes 0-3 with two strikeouts, you expect to win...