Rob Grabowski – USA TODAY Sports
It’s not everyday that the Houston Astros win a game where their offense has to come through in the clutch and their bullpen has to fend off the opposition, but they did just that in the series opener against the Chicago White Sox.
The Astros offense was lead by the most unlikely of players, Chris Carter, whose strikeout totals are legendary. Carter went 3-for-4 with two home runs and four RBIs, by far his best game this season. It raised his average to a still anemic .215, but it probably gave the front office just enough to keep the guy around for just a little bit longer.
Or maybe Carter finally turned the corner, we’ll just have to wait and see.
Surprisingly, the young guns were nowhere to be seen, as Robbie Grossman, L.J. Hoes and Jonathan Villar combined to go 1-for-11. But what makes a team good is when teammates can pick each other up. Are the Astros good? Not necessarily, but they have to start getting good at some point, and it might as well be now.
Matt Dominguez and Jason Castro stayed hot in the middle of the order. Dominguez has gradually worked his way up to batting fifth in the lineup.
It was nice to see someone else take the reins on the Astros. Starting pitching and the younger players in the lineup dropped the ball, and the middle of the order coupled with the bullpen (though they still weren’t that convincing) held on for dear life and beat out the Sox.
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