Houston Astros lose to Kansas City Royals 7-3 at Minute Maid Park – MLB news
Houston Astros took the lead early in the game against Kansas City Royals but a late charge by the opponents saw the home team go down by a margin of 7-3 on Tuesday, May 21, 2013 at the Minute Maid Park.
Astros’ opening pitcher Bud Norris had a fantastic game as he did not allow any runs to the Royals’ batters in six innings before retiring due to tightness in the lower back. The Royals took the bullpen apart as they scored all of their seven runs in the
last three innings.
Jimmy Paredes helped the Houston ballclub move ahead in the bottom of the fourth with a three- run long ball. This was his first home-run of the season and provided his team with a decent lead.
The score line remained the same until the conclusion of the sixth innings. The Royals cut the lead to a single run in the seventh as Alcides Escobar and David Lough both got RBI singles.
Four more runs were scored in the courtesy of an RBI single by Mike Moustakas and a bases loaded walk allowed to George Kottaras. Two more runs were scored during a forced ground out.
A wild pitch by Jose Cisnero allowed Elliot Johnson to score with one out in the ninth. The Astros were unable to add any runs and lost the game with a fair margin.
Bud Norris was all set for pitching in the seventh before manager Bo Porter paid the mound a visit and after talking to the pitcher called the relief pitcher to come in. The tightness of the back of Norris may be a temporary issue for the Astros but a greater
problem lies with the bullpen that was completely unable to counter the Royals offensive approach.
Bruce Chen was credited with his third win of the season. Paul Clemens recorded the loss and now stands at a 1-2 win-loss record this season.
Although the Astros have shown some improvements in the last few games, they will need to further work on their weaknesses in the bullpen as well as tackle with the low run production. These two issues will be crucial for the Houston ballclub to perform
better for the rest of the season.
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