Things started well enough with three runs in the first and the expectations that many runs would follow. Ten more runs were plated but eight of them turned out to be Astro runs including the hardest hit ball that Kershaw may ever give up when Carlos Lee took him 400 feet long and 400 feet high. Coming off his brilliant game last Wednesday Kershaw was as ineffective as he's ever been in his short career. Manny blasted a 430 foot home run to bring the Dodgers within 2 but the eight game winning streak came to an end when Loney and Martin whiffed with the bases loaded.
Loney ended up with six runners LOB and his last at bat with the bases loaded was as bad as it gets. A half hearted swing for strike two and a swing and miss on a ball as out of the strike zone as you can get without throwing a wild pitch. Loney's main critics have focused on his lack of power for a 1st baseman and after 50 at bats he has exactly the same number of extra base hits that Scott Elbert has in two at bats.
Ramon Troncoso pitched some solid relief for the third game in a row but Mota gave up a run before his entrance and Belisario after his exit.
Tomorrow they try to start a new streak with Wolf going against Oswalt but the RHH of the Astro's could make it hard for that to happen.