The Astros have a chance to take the series against the Twins in Minnesota. The Astros have proven time after time that if the pitching is solid, they put themselves in a position to win. Last night in the second game of the series they continued to make that the case. Jason Alexander pitched six scoreless innings and the Astros took the win 2-1.
For the third and final game of the series, Mike Burrows will be taking the mound. Burrows has had his ups and downs this season, but he has had some outstanding outings as well.
His most recent outing was a rocky one. May 14 against the Seattle Mariners, Burrows took the loss 8-3. He pitched 5.2 innings, gave up seven runs, three walks and had four strikeouts.
However, his start against the Cincinnati Reds on May 8 was not only outstanding but also the longest of his career.
Burrows had never thrown a pitch in the seventh inning as a starter, and that night he completed seven innings. The right-hander allowed no runs on just three hits while striking out six and issuing only one walk. One of the biggest moments came in the fourth inning when Burrows worked out of a bases-loaded, one-out jam to keep the game scoreless. It was his second straight quality start and lowered his ERA to 5.04 through 44.2 innings this season, per MLB.
His ERA climbed after that rough outing against Seattle and now sits at 5.72, but some of the damage against him this year has also come down to bad luck and poor timing rather than just poor pitching.
If Burrows can turn it on today, the Astros could take the series, making it two back-to-back series wins. Something they have not been able to do since their season-opening homestand. The Astros have shown they can win when the pitching shows up and today is Burrows' chance to prove he can be part of that.
