2011 GAMES 45-47: Astros Win a Series Once in a Blue Jay...

GAME 45 - May 20: Astros 5, Blue Jays 2
GAME 46 - May 21: Blue Jays 7, Astros 5
GAME 47 - May 22: Astros 3, Blue Jays 2

Poised Friday night to recap their 15-30 start to the 2005 season, the Astros did something wild and crazy: They won a game. After 5 straight losses, the Astros looked like they were on their way to add to the streak, going into the eighth inning down 2-0 (good start with poor run support for Aneury R). But surprise: They celebrated their first trip to Toronto with a late inning surge: A 2-run double for Hunter Pence in the eighth; then in the ninth, a 2-run homer for CJ, capped with a Bourn RBI single. Good work by the bullpen (Escalon, Del Rosario, Lopez, and Melancon for the save).

Saturday Brett Myers was going strong, holding a shutout through 5 innings, while his teammates put 4 runs on the board for him. Then in the sixth, the wheels started coming off. With a runner on first, Barmes misplayed what should have been a double-play ball. Next batter lined out, which should have ended the inning without the error. Instead it brought up Jose Bautista, who hit a 3 run homer. Myers gave up another 3 runs in the seventh before Mills pulled him. Bautista hit another homer in the eighth just to rub it in. Astros got another run in the top of the ninth, but it was too little, too late. The Astros' 5 runs were a big score for them -- they have been extremely frugal with runs recently -- but not enough for the win.

Pence also figured in all the runs of Houston's 3-2 win on Sunday, scoring in the third, and then hitting a 2-run homer in the fifth. Luckily, it was a good day for both Wandy and the bullpen. Wandy held the Blue Jays to 2 runs on 6 hits over 6 innings; then Lopez and Melancon handled the rest of the game without giving up a run.  It was Melancon's third save; hopefully he'll have a bit more opportunity to try for more of those this season.

Nice to win a series. Nice to even win a game. But I'm resigned to a whole season of Spring Training for the Astros. At 17-30, we are still very securely in last place in the league. Now home to Houston to play the Dodgers, who have lost 7 of their last 9 games. Maybe we'll get lucky.