RECAP: Brandon Backe got the call to start tonight’s game and didn’t disappoint the sellout crowd, tossing 7 and 1/3rd excellent innings to pick up his fourth win of the year. Backe dominated the powerful Phillies lineup, striking out six while walking only one. The one run he gave up came off a solo homer from Pat Burrell early in the game. Doug Brocail relieved Backe in the 8th inning, getting two key outs while working his way through the Phillies most dangerous hitters to hold Philadelphia scoreless that inning. Astros closer Jose Valverde entered the game in the 9th inning and, in a frightening moment, was struck on the side of his face by a liner off Pedro Feliz’s bat. Valverde was down for several minutes but stood up and, amazingly, stayed in to finish the game. He gave up two earned runs, one due to the liner he took to the face, but induced a fly ball to center to nail down the save, giving the Astros a hard-fought 4-3 win.

At the plate, Ty Wigginton had his second multi-hit game in a row, knocking a single and a double. J.R. Towels recorded his first hit of the series and later scored on a Michael Bourn single. Lance Berkman ripped a triple into the right-field corner and scored on a sac-fly off the bat of Carlos Lee. While Backe contributed at the plate with an infield single and a sacrifice bunt, the night’s biggest offensive star was Hunter Pence, who smacked a pair of homers, one to far right field and the second a titanic blast that banged off the facade over the Landry’s Crawford Boxes in left field.

THOUGHTS: The Astros combined stellar pitching with timely hits and aggressive base running to take this second game. Seeing Bourn and Towels both record clutch hits late in the game is a great sign, keep your eyes on them in the coming games.

PLAYER OF THE GAME: Brandon Backe; 7 & 1/3rd IP, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 K, 1 hit at the plate.

ASTROS RECORD: 28-22 (.560)

In a close game against the Chicago Cubs, the Houston Astros were able to come away with a two run victory.  Two runs in the 8th inning proved to be enough for the Astros as the held on for the win against the Cubs.

J.R. Towels connected for a two out, two run homerun in the 4th inning off Rich Hill that gave the Astros a 2-0 lead.   The Astros then gave up a couple of runs in the in the 7th inning when Geovany Soto hit a two RBI single to tie the game for the Cubs, but the Astros then came back in the top of of the 8th inning and scored two runs when Miguel Tejada tripled down the left field line and Ty Wiggington hit a sac fly to centerfield.  The Cubbies then scored one run when Mark DeRosa connected for a solo homerun in the bottom of the 9th innin.

Wesley Wright picked up the win for the Astros.  Cub killer, Jose Valverde picked up the save.

The Astros record now stands at 2-3.

The Houston Astros were on the losing side of a one run game on Thursday as they lost to the San Deigo Padres 3-2.  The Astros record is now 1-3 after the four game series with the Padres.

Oscar Villarreal picked up the loss for the Astros as he gave up an earned run in the bottom of the 7th inning.  Starter  Shawn Chacon pitched six innings while giving up two earned runs.

It was the lack of offense that hurt the Astros on Thursday however.  You would think they could score more then two runs off of Randy Wolf.  But Wolf held down the Astros for six innings and then let the bullpen take over.

Mark Loretta and J.R. Towels had an RBI each for the Astros.

The Astros now travel to Chicago to take on the Chicago Cubs in a weekend series.