Brewers’ skipper Ned Yost, trying to give his team some momentum on the road, tweeked the batting order Tuesday night against Astros’ ace Roy Oswalt.
Yost started by having Corey Hart bat lead-off for, I believe, the first time this year. J.J. Hardy moved up into the #2 hole, while Mike Cameron hit 6th and Bill Hall got his first start of the season at second base and also hitting 7th.
With this “new and improved” batting order, how’d they do?
It didn’t work.
Oswalt fanned 10 batters (every starter but Jason Kendall had at least one ‘K’ on the night) on his way to this 5th win of the season.
Lance Berkman gave Oswalt a 2-0 cushion after homering off of Brewers’ starter Seth McClung in the first. Ryan Braun cut the lead in half with a solo shot in the top of third.
McClung clung on for 6 innings, earning a quality start with having given up only the 2 earned runs while fanning 5 and only allowing 3 hits and a walk.
But a disasterous 7th inning, led by Julian Tavarez, sealed the deal for the Astros…a bunt single by Michael Bourn where Tavarez got in the way of catcher Jason Kendall, followed by a Brad Ausmus bunt scored a throwing error by Tavarez (Tavarez threw low to Bill Hall covering at first…I think Hall should have made the play) that put Ausmus on, eventually leading to a bases-loaded triple by Berkman (misplayed by Mike Cameron), eventually leading to a 4-run 7th and a win for the Astros.
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