The Houston Astros beat the Cincinnati Reds in dramatic fashion Saturday night, and have a chance to do something Sunday they haven't done since Aug. 12: win a series. Bud Norris is on the mound Sunday afternoon, squaring off against Bronson Arroyo, and Norris' strikeout stuff could give the Astros their third win in 16 games. More importantly, it would give them their second victory in a row.
Arroyo has been surprisingly effective this season — he has a 3.84 ERA to go with his 11-7 record — and Norris, after getting off to a hot start, has been anything but. He continues to rack up the strikeouts, as he is wont to do, but has a bloated 5.01 ERA and 3.6 walks per nine innings.
The Astros' bats are where most of the trouble has been, however, and even in Saturday's win, they weren't much better. Justin Maxwell's homer was the only scoring that wasn't caused by a hilarious error. With more good luck Sunday, though, they can take the series and spoil some fun for the Reds and their fans.
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