SB Nation Houston - Astros Take Series From Diamondbacks With 3-2 Victoryhttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/46691/houston-fave.png2010-09-05T17:56:40-05:00http://houston.sbnation.com/rss/stream/14351952010-09-05T17:56:40-05:002010-09-05T17:56:40-05:00Pence Homers Houston To 3-2 Win Over Diamondbacks
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<p>Phoenix, AZ (Sports Network) – Hunter Pence’s three-run home run in the first inning stood up as the deciding hit as Houston held off Arizona, 3-2, to wrap up a three-game set.</p>
<p>Pence finished 2-for-4 and Jeff Keppinger added a hit and a run scored for the Astros, who took the final two games of the series and have won five of their last six contests.</p>
<p>J.A. Happ (6-2) continued his fine pitching since being acquired from Philadelphia, as he yielded two runs on six hits while walking two and striking out seven over seven frames to grab the win and Brandon Lyon worked around a one-out double in the ninth to register his 13th save.</p>
<p>Rodrigo Lopez (5-13) allowed all three runs on six hits and a pair of walks while striking out five over six innings to take the loss for the Diamondbacks, who claimed the season series, 4-3.</p>
https://houston.sbnation.com/2010/9/5/1671668/pence-homers-houston-to-3-2-winTom Martin2010-09-05T12:22:49-05:002010-09-05T12:22:49-05:00Happ, Astros Go For Series Win Against Diamondbacks
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<p>(Sports Network) - Newly-minted Astro lefty <span>J.A. Happ</span> can make it five wins in seven decisions with Houston today when they visit Chase Field to close out a three-game weekend series with the <a href="https://www.azsnakepit.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Arizona Diamondbacks</a>.</p>
<p>Arizona won Friday's opener, 4-3, but Houston took game two after Carlos Lee hit the game-winning three-run home run in the eighth inning and drove in four to cap a 6-5 come-from-behind win. Lee finished 2-for-4 while <span>Jeff Keppinger</span> also went 2-for-4 and scored twice for the <a href="https://www.crawfishboxes.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Astros</a>, who have won four of five.</p>
<p><span>Mark Melancon</span> (2-0) tossed a scoreless inning to grab the win in relief and <span>Brandon Lyon</span> stranded the potential tying run at third base in the bottom of the ninth to earn his 12th save of the season for Houston, which defeated the hosts for just a second time in their last 10 meetings.</p>
<p><span>Aaron Heilman</span> (5-6) continued the D'Backs' year-long bullpen implosion by coughing up a three-run lead.</p>
<p>He suffered the loss after allowing four runs on four hits while recording just two outs for the Diamondbacks, who fell for only a second time in their last nine contests overall.</p>
<p>Arizona starter <span>Joe Saunders</span> yielded a pair of runs on three hits while walking two and fanning four in seven innings, turning a 5-2 lead over to Heilman.</p>
<p>Happ, a native of Spring Valley, Ill., was a surprise rookie star for the <a href="https://www.thegoodphight.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Philadelphia Phillies</a> in 2009 and won 12 games while helping them to a second straight National League championship. He began 2010 with Philadelphia and was 1-0 in three starts before heading to Houston in the trade that sent veteran ace <span>Roy Oswalt</span> to the Phillies.</p>
<p>Happ won his first start with his new team on July 30 and is 4-2 with the Astros overall, including a complete-game gem over St. Louis on Aug. 30 in which he allowed just two hits, walked one and struck out four in a 3-0 victory.</p>
<p>The 27-year-old is 18-7 in 54 big-league outings.</p>
<p>He'll be opposed by veteran Arizona righty <span>Rodrigo Lopez</span>, who'll make the 194th start of a career that began with San Diego in 2000. Lopez won 15 games with Baltimore in both 2002 and 2005 and lost a league-high 18 times with the <a href="https://www.camdenchat.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Orioles</a> in 2006 before pitching for Colorado, Philadelphia and now the Diamondbacks since the beginning of 2007.</p>
<p>He and Happ were teammates with the Phillies last year, when Lopez was 3-1 in seven appearances with a 5.70 earned run average.</p>
<p>The 34-year-old Mexican is winless in nine starts since defeating Florida, 10-4, on July 8. In his last outing, on Aug. 29 at San Francisco, he gave up eight hits and five runs in just four innings of a 9-7 defeat.</p>
<p>Arizona has now won four of six meetings with the Astros this season.</p>
https://houston.sbnation.com/2010/9/5/2320523/happ-astros-go-for-series-win-against-diamondbacksTom Martin