Official site of Tribune News serving Tomball, Magnolia and Waller

HOUSTON (AP) — Houston starter Armando Galarraga wasn't happy that he gave up a home run to opposing pitcher Gio Gonzalez on Wednesday night.

He was even less pleased about walking six batters in just five-plus innings.

Gonzalez pitched a nine-inning complete game and hit a home run — both career firsts — to lead the Washington Nationals to a 4-3 victory over the Astros.

Galarraga (0-2) yielded six hits and three runs to remain winless in three starts this season since being promoted from Triple-A Oklahoma City.

"I need to make an adjustment," he said. "I need to make a big adjustment. I threw the ball bad. I need to be honest with myself. Six walks after seven walks. There's not an excuse for that. I have to make an adjustment and work on my mechanics."

Nationals manager Davey Johnson was hoping Gonzalez (14-6) could go deep into this game after his bullpen had been taxed with games of 11 and 12 innings to start this series.

He got just what he wanted from Gonzalez, whose other complete game was an eight-inning outing when he was with Oakland in a 4-1 loss at the White Sox on Aug. 1, 2010.

Things got dicey in the ninth when he allowed three hits and a run and had the tying run on third before striking out Matt Downs to end the game.

"We got the opportunity, but he came through even with his pitch count getting high," Houston manager Brad Mills said of Gonzalez, who threw 117 pitches.

He allowed nine hits with seven strikeouts and two walks.

Gonzalez broke a 1-1 tie with his two-run, two-out, first-pitch homer into the Crawford Boxes in left field in the second inning. Galarraga plunked Kurt Suzuki to set up the shot.

"Any time you hit a guy with two outs and then the pitcher hits a home run that winds up beating you, that's a tough pill to swallow," Mills said.

Houston cut the lead to 3-2 in the fourth inning, but Washington added an insurance run on an error in the seventh.

Brandon Barnes got his first career hit on a single with one out in the ninth. Barnes scored from second on a single by Ben Francisco with two outs to get Houston within 4-3.

Jose Altuve singled after that before Gonzalez got Downs to wrap up his big night.

Galarraga got off to a tough start, walking the first two batters he faced. Ryan Zimmerman followed with a single, but Steve Lombardozzi couldn't beat the throw and was out at home.

Washington took a 1-0 lead when Bryce Harper scored on a balk. The play first looked to be a sacrifice fly by Adam LaRoche, but replays showed that home plate umpire Angel Hernandez called the balk before Galarraga threw the pitch that La Roche hit.

Altuve hit a leadoff double for Houston and scored on a single by Justin Maxwell to tie it at 1-all.

With Washington up 3-2 after Gonzalez's homer, J.D. Martinez singled with one out in the fourth, took second on a balk and advanced to third on a wild pitch. He scored on a sacrifice fly by Carlos Corporan to get Houston within 3-2.

The Nationals were 1 for 12 with runners in scoring position.

A big opportunity came in the sixth when Jayson Werth walked to start the inning before Danny Espinosa singled. Suzuki drew a walk to load the bases and chase Galarraga, who was replaced by Xavier Cedeno. Gonzalez grounded into a forceout. Cedeno then retired Lombardozzi and struck out Harper.

Harper was unhappy with a couple of the calls during the at-bat. First he headed toward first base on a 3-1 count that was called a strike and later yelled: "No way" when he struck out looking.

Zimmerman doubled in the seventh and advanced to third on a wild pitch. He scored and Werth reached on an error by third baseman Downs when he bounced the throw to first base.

NOTES: Nationals LF Michael Morse singled in the fourth inning to extend his career-long hitting streak to 17 games. ... Johnson said before the game that Werth, who was held out of Tuesday's lineup with soreness in his legs, was better on Wednesday, but "not good enough to play center field." ... These teams wrap up the four-game series on Thursday when Washington right-hander Jordan Zimmermann opposes Lucas Harrell.

HOUSTON (AP) — The luck of the throwback jerseys finally ran out for the Houston Astros.

After back-to-back wins donning uniforms that paid homage to better days in the 1990s, it was back to the ugly present for the Astros, whose sloppy defense and continued lack of clutch hitting on Sunday sunk them in a 5-3 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers.

Right-hander Jordan Lyles (2-9) picked up his fifth loss in seven starts despite another solid outing to remain winless since June 26 at San Diego.

"I though Jordan threw the ball real well," Astros manager Brad Mills said. "He's put some starts back-to-back-to-back that have been real good. We're seeing that improvement."

Marwin Gonzalez drove in two runs and scored another, but his fielding error in the fifth inning proved costly for the Astros, who lost for the 35th time in 41 games.

Tyler Greene, who was recently acquired from the St. Louis Cardinals, finished 2 for 5 with a double, and Chris Snyder had two hits and scored a run for Houston, at 38-78 the worst team in baseball.

The Astros had the tying run at second base with two outs in the bottom of the ninth after a throwing error to first and wild pitch by Kameron Loe, but the Milwaukee reliever got Gonzalez to ground out on a full count to end the game.

Whatever magic the uniforms had brought was gone.

The Astros first used their 1994-99 uniforms for Friday's series opener against Milwaukee as part of the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the franchise.

A 4-3, last at-bat win to halt a five-game skid prompted the team — at the players' request — to don the uniforms Saturday, and, after another last at-bat win, this one 6-5 in 10 innings, again on Sunday.

The Astros won three divisional titles (1997-1999) and posted winning records in five of the six seasons wearing the blue-and-gold star uniforms beginning in 1995.

Still, the Astros embarked on a three-game road trip against the Cubs having claimed their first series since winning two of three against San Diego June 26-28.

"This is a positive change, winning two of three," Gonzalez said. "We hope it's an awakening for the team and that we continue to see positive results."

Corey Hart hit a solo home run in the sixth inning, and Yovani Gallardo beat the Astros for the 10th straight time as the Brewers broke an 11-game road skid.

Milwaukee won on the road for the first time since July 8 at Houston in its last game before the All-Star break. The Brewers had been swept at the Reds, Phillies and Cardinals since then.

Lyles allowed eight hits and four runs — two earned — in seven innings for his fifth straight loss.

"I know his record is not the best in the world," Mills said. "That's not indicative of the progress he's made and how he's throwing the ball. That's a shame.

Lyles was not stressing about his record and seemed encouraged by his latest outing.

"I just go out there every five days and try to get my team a chance to win," Lyles said. "If I get the win or someone in the bullpen gets the win, that's fine with me. The last couple of starts have been better than the res ... we're headed in the right direction."

Gallardo (11-8) held the Astros to three runs while striking out eight in 7 2-3 innings for the win, which tied the most for a pitcher against a team since Roy Halladay beat Montreal/Washington 10 straight times from 2004-11, according to information provided to the Brewers by the Elias Sports Bureau.

He allowed the Astros an early lead but quickly fell into a rhythm, and the Brewers' bats took care of the rest.

Back-to-back doubles by Green and Gonzalez in the first inning gave the Astros a 1-0 lead that would not last long.

Carlos Gomez, Jean Segura and Gallardo each singled off Lyles with two outs to tie it at 1 in the second.

The Brewers got Lyles again in the fifth. Segura singled to start the inning and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Gallardo.

Norichika Aoki reached on a throwing error by Gonzalez at shortstop and stole second, and Segura beat the throw home on a grounder by Rickie Weeks for a 2-1 lead. Ryan Braun added an RBI grounder.

"I know (Gonzalez) feels terrible, but we've talked many times about giving teams extra outs," Mills said. "That's exactly what we did that inning, and that's what hurt us."

Martin Maldonado's RBI double off reliever Mickey Storey in the eighth inning put Milwaukee up 5-2.

Scott Moore's run-scoring single with two outs in the eighth inning chased Gallardo and put the Astros within two.

NOTES: Houston C Jason Castro, on the disabled list with a right knee injury, went 3 for 3 and played nine innings behind the plate in a rehabilitation assignment with Triple-A Oklahoma City on Saturday night and will be activated on Monday. The Astros optioned C Carlos Corporan after the game to make room for Castro on the roster. ... Milwaukee RHP Shaun Marcum, on the 60-day DL with tightness in his right elbow, is scheduled to make his second rehabilitation start on Wednesday for Class-A Wisconsin. ... Armando Galarraga opposes Chicago's Jeff Samardzija when the Astros open a three-game series with the Cubs on Monday. ... Milwaukee's Mike Fiers takes on Colorado LHP Jeff Francis as the Brewers travel to take on the Rockies.

CHICAGO (AP) — As Brandon Barnes rounded the bases to celebrate his first big league homer, the Wrigley Field faithful threw the souvenir back onto the field.

Only this time, a second ball came flying back with it.

"We got the right one," Barnes confirmed with a grin.

Barnes' shot was all the Houston Astros managed Monday night as Jeff Samardzija matched a career high with 11 strikeouts in seven innings and the Chicago Cubs won 7-1.

The Astros have lost 25 of their last 27 road games.

"After (Samardzija) got that lead, it seemed like he really started throwing the ball well," Astros manager Brad Mills said. "There was a lot of movement. He was throwing (his slider and cutter) for what looked like strikes, and they were breaking out of the zone."

Samardzija (8-10) allowed one run and four hits. He also fanned 11 at Atlanta on July 2.

"It's my first year starting so I really want to show the staff that I can pitch late in the year and still pitch late in the games late in the year," Samardzija said. "It's a big proving year for me."

Darwin Barney and Alfonso Soriano hit two-run homers and Anthony Rizzo had four hits for the Cubs, who won for just the second time in 13 games..

The crowd of 31,452 was the smallest of the season at Wrigley Field.

Barnes had a pinch-hit shot in the sixth for the Astros, who have the worst record in the majors. Called up from the minors on Aug. 7, Barnes homered in his fourth big league game.

"Amazing. Not many words I can say. It was really cool," Barnes said. "I wasn't 100 percent sure it was going out. Once I saw it was out, I was pretty excited."

Armando Galarraga (0-3) was tagged for five runs and seven hits.

"Two home runs cost me the game," Galarraga said. "Believe it or not, it was a better start than the last couple. I threw more strikes, threw everything I wanted to. I just missed those two."

Samardzija came into the game with the second-lowest run support in the majors at 3.19. Chicago had scored two or fewer runs for him in 11 of his last 12 outings.

Starlin Castro led off the Cubs second with a single and two outs later, Barney hit his sixth homer.

In the third, Rizzo singled home Josh Vitters to give Samardzija a three-run cushion.

After Rizzo singled in the fifth, Soriano hit his 21st home run.

Welington Castillo had an RBI infield single in the seventh and Vitters drove in Barney with a sacrifice fly in the eighth.

NOTES: Lucas Harrell, Tuesday's scheduled starter for Houston, will try for his 10th win of the season. He ranks first among NL rookies in innings pitched. ... Cubs starter Chris Volstad will try to win his first game since July 10, 2011, on Tuesday. He has not won in 22 starts. ... Astros C Jason Castro was back in the lineup after missing nearly a month with a right knee contusion. He was 1 for 4 and struck out three times.

CHICAGO (AP) — Chris Volstad is not thinking about his winless skid. He's just trying to make better pitches.

Volstad gave up a three-run homer to Brett Wallace and remained winless in 23 starts, the Chicago Cubs' 10-1 loss to the Houston Astros on Tuesday night.

"The past is in the past, so the only thing I'm concerned with is my next game," Volstad said.

Fernando Martinez also hit a three-run homer, backing Lucas Harrell's eight strong innings for Houston.

Harrell (10-8) scattered six hits and struck out six, helping the Astros win for only the third time in their last 28 road games. Harrell has allowed two runs or fewer in all seven of his starts since the All-Star break.

"Harrell came right after us," Cubs manager Dale Sveum said. "Looked like he threw probably 90 percent fastballs. We didn't capitalize on his aggressiveness at all."

Volstad (0-9) lasted just five innings, allowing eight hits and four runs in his latest bid for his first big league win since July 10, 2011. He is approaching the major league record of 28 held by Cliff Curtis, Matt Keough and Jo-Jo Reyes.

"There was nothing real crisp going on," Sveum said. "The command, getting the ball up. The off-speed stuff, that's what was getting hit hard."

In Volstad's first two outings since being recalled from Triple-A Iowa on Aug. 1, he allowed just five runs in 13 innings. He wasn't as sharp on Tuesday, but still sees some positives.

"I had a really good changeup," Volstad said. "Sinker had some good action on that. Fastball was down for the most part. Probably one or two that were elevated a little bit. I would say as far as consistency, that's getting better."

Volstad fell to 0-14 with a 5.51 ERA during his winless skid, which has been dotted with quality outings here and there.

Scott Moore added a solo shot and double twice for a career-high three extra-base hits. Jose Altuve doubled twice and had three of Houston's 13 hits.

Darwin Barney drove in the Cub's run with a fielder's choice in the seventh.

The Cubs have lost 12 of 14 and matched their season high by falling 25 games under .500, their worst record since finishing the 2006 season 30 games below break-even.

Harrell retired the first eight Cubs before Volstad singled with two outs in the third, his first hit of the season. Harrell induced two double plays and nearly got a third when Barney just beat Tyler Greene's relay in the seventh, allowing Starlin Castro to score.

Harrell got plenty of support in Houston's biggest offensive outburst since scoring 11 runs in Chicago on June 10 against the White Sox. Houston had scored just 11 runs combined in its last six losses on the road.

"Isn't that nice?" Astros manager Brad Mills said. "Besides swinging the bat, we made some defensive plays. Lucas comes out and gives us just an absolutely quality start, and gives us that opportunity."

Wallace's homer to dead center in third gave Harrell an early cushion.

Houston's five-run sixth was aided by Castro's error on a likely double-play ball, his 18th miscue of the season. He tied Pittsburgh third baseman Pedro Alvarez for the most errors in the majors.

Moore doubled in Altuve in the first to open the scoring and kick off his best night as a big leaguer. Moore, who broke into the majors with the Cubs in 2006, doubled and scored in the sixth and hit a solo homer to right in the seventh.

Volstad will get another shot at breaking his funk in five days, when Sveum hopes he will see more of what he showed in his two previous starts.

"After a couple of good outings, even the outing in Triple-A, it was kind of based around one pitch," Sveum said. "I think he'll tell you his stuff wasn't what it was the last couple of outings."

NOTES: Mills said RHP Francisco Cordero (sprained ligament in toe) likely won't return until Sept. 1. ... The Cubs announced that Albert Almora, their top pick in June's draft, had been promoted from rookie league Mesa, Ariz., to Class-A Boise. Almora, 18, hit .347 with one homer, 13 RBIs and five steals in 18 games for Mesa. ... Sveum said RHP Matt Garza had not been ruled out for the season, but was still more than a week away from resuming throwing. Garza was placed on the disabled list on July 28 because of stress reaction in his right elbow.

CHICAGO (AP) — It's been a struggle all season for Bud Norris to get in the win column.

Now he's struggling to just stay on the field.

Norris was battered for three home runs before getting hit with a line drive and exiting early on Wednesday, and the Houston Astros lost to the Chicago Cubs 7-2.

David DeJesus hit two home runs and Justin Germano breezed through six innings to help Chicago win the three-game series.

Norris (5-10) allowed six runs on eight hits over 3 1-3 innings and hasn't won since May 21.

Following DeJesus' second homer, Josh Vitters hit a liner up the middle that deflected off Norris' foot toward the third base bag. After two warm-up pitches, Norris bent over, shook his head toward the team trainer and exited the game. He was diagnosed with a left foot contusion.

"It really squared up my foot pretty good," Norris said. "I knew with my landing foot it wasn't going to be pretty. I'm glad I came out because I didn't want to hurt it any worse than it was."

Astros manager Brad Mills said Norris will be re-evaluated Friday.

Norris' winless streak extended to 13 starts.

"I just felt like I was inconsistent and that all the mistakes I made got punished," he said. "It's just frustrating because you're trying to make good pitches."

The Astros, owners of the worst record in baseball, have dropped 26 of their last 29 road games and are 12-48 away from home this season.

A Houston offense that scored 10 runs the day before was stymied by Germano (2-2), who was removed after giving up a single and a walk in the sixth. James Russell entered in relief and loaded the bases, but escaped the jam giving up just one run.

Germano was charged with two runs on five hits over 6 1-3 innings. He walked one and struck out six, including the side in the fourth.

"He was throwing every pitch that he wanted for strikes," Jose Altuve said. "He was dominating the whole game long."

Altuve had three singles for Houston, but Marwin Gonzalez followed by hitting into a double play all three times.

Scott Moore homered leading off the second for Houston for his second homer in as many days. He had three extra-base hits Tuesday.

Starlin Castro also homered among his three hits for Chicago, which won for just the third time in 15 games. The Cubs avoided falling to a season-worst 26 games under .500.

DeJesus' third-inning homer was his first in 54 career games at Wrigley Field. And he didn't waste any time notching his second career Wrigley homer, blasting the first pitch of his next at-bat out to center field.

"After the first at-bat, I felt confident that I saw all of (Norris') pitches," DeJesus said. "I just wanted to be aggressive on him, I knew he'd pump a lot of first-pitch heaters right down the middle."

He tied a career best with four hits and drove in three runs, reaching base five times. Astros reliever Chuckie Fick was booed in the sixth for intentionally walking DeJesus with runners on second and third.

Castro hit a two-run shot in the third, his 12th of the season.

Chicago's Brett Jackson tied the game at 1 with a two-out triple in the second inning. The low liner skipped past center fielder Brandon Barnes and Castro trotted home from third.

It was Jackson's first career RBI. He also doubled in the sixth. The 24-year-old has struggled since being called up from Triple-A Iowa on Aug. 5. He was just 4 for 28 with 16 strikeouts before the triple.

Notes: The Cubs fired vice president of player personnel Oneri Fleita. Fleita had been with the organization since 1995. . Astros RHP Francisco Cordero flew to Miami to complete his U.S. Citizenship. Cordero has been on the 15-day disabled list since Aug. 3 with a sprained toe ligament. He was acquired from Toronto on July 20. . After an off-day Thursday, Travis Wood (4-8, 4.52 ERA) pitches the series opener for the Cubs in Cincinnati against the Reds' Bronson Arroyo (8-7, 3.95). . Dallas Keuchel (1-4, 5.29) will start for Houston at home on Friday against Arizona's Wade Miley (12-8, 3.02).

ST. LOUIS (AP) — A large contingent of family and friends waited outside the visitor's clubhouse for Lucas Harrell. After getting knocked around, the Houston Astros rookie pitcher wasn't all that anxious to see everyone.

Harrell allowed hits to six of the first seven batters in a four-run first inning that was plenty of cushion for Adam Wainwright, who threw a five-hitter and matched his career high with 12 strikeouts in the St. Louis Cardinals' 7-0 victory on Tuesday night.

"I feel like I let a lot of people down," Harrell said after giving up six runs in five innings. "That's definitely not my best and I can't wait to come back here and have a better outing.

"Frustrating, disappointing — all those things come into play," he said.

Harrell (10-9) is from Springfield, Mo., where he led Ozark Mo. High School to the 2004 Missouri state championship,  and spent two days there before his start, visiting family and friends at home. His mother drove him to St. Louis on Tuesday afternoon, arriving about 4 1-2 hours before the first pitch.

"He looked like he was a little fired up," interim manager Tony DeFrancesco said. "I know he had a big group out there and you always want to impress the people you love.

"Unfortunately, he was a little too anxious early," DeFrancesco added.

Skip Schumaker and Yadier Molina had two RBIs apiece for the Cardinals, who capitalized on a pair of walks to open a two-run third. Molina had three hits and Jon Jay had three hits and an RBI.

Harrell said second baseman Jose Altuve was shaded toward the bag on the Schumaker at-bat, and couldn't quite stop a grounder into right that Harrell had thought might have been a double-play ball.

"They got a lot of weak contact," Harrell said. "I felt like they hit two balls hard all game. It was just kind of a tough one."

Wainwright threw his second shutout and third complete game of the season. Two of the complete games have come during a string of six consecutive victories at home with a 1.42 ERA. He pitched a five-hitter on Aug. 4, a 6-1 victory over the Brewers.

Wainwright is 12-1 with a 1.58 ERA for his career against Houston. The Astros got two-out hits in the ninth from Justin Maxwell and Jason Castro in a bid to spoil the shutout before Wainwright fanned Ben Francisco on his 105th pitch.

The Astros have been outscored 15-1 in two games under DeFrancesco, who held a team meeting prior to the game in an effort to lift the stripped-down franchise out of the doldrums. Houston is just 7-41 since June 28.

"It's kind of like you get beat down and the big guy keeps hitting you," DeFrancesco said before the game. "To bounce back in this game is difficult when you have young players that have limited time in the major leagues.

"The media, the lights, the crowd — that stuff as a coach in the minor leagues you really can't teach that until you get into this place and feel it for the first time," he added.

Tyler Greene, a former Cardinals first-round pick dealt to Houston earlier this year for a player to be named, struck out twice and grounded out in his first game in St. Louis as a visitor.

Harrell (10-9) had allowed two or fewer runs in each of his last seven starts, but balked home the first run and got a visit from pitching coach Doug Brocail after facing just five hitters. The right-hander retired just five of the first 15 batters before settling down, allowing a walk and sacrifice fly the last 10 hitters.

"My last two innings I got back to really making good pitches and keeping the ball down and getting outs," Harrell said. "That's what I can take away from this one."

The day after their 6-3, 19-inning loss to the Pirates — the longest game in the majors this season — manager Mike Matheny led a delegation to help rebuild tornado-ravaged Joplin, Mo., and other Cardinals played charity golf.

Jay doubled to start the bottom of the first, and with one out St. Louis got five straight singles from Matt Holliday, Allen Craig, David Freese, Molina and Schumaker. Craig and Freese walked to start the third, Molina followed with an RBI single and Rafael Furcal added a sacrifice fly.

The Astros were shut out for the 12th time.

NOTES: Bud Norris (5-10, 5.23) is 7-3 for his career against the Cardinals heading into Wednesday night's start against Kyle Lohse (12-2, 2.61). ... Carlos Beltran, 4 for 23 on the homestand and bothered by a right hand injury, missed his second start in three games but is not expected to be out long. ... The Cardinals are 56-14 when scoring more than three runs. ... Craig had a single to extend his hitting streak to 10 games and also walked three times. ... Craig is 10 for 23 (.435) against Houston this season and 21-48 for his career with five homers and 17 RBIs.

ST. LOUIS (AP) — David Freese's three-run homer snapped the Cardinals' seven-game longball drought and St. Louis beat the Houston Astros 13-5 Thursday to complete a three-game sweep.

Freese and Matt Holliday each had four RBIs and Allen Craig had three hits and three RBIs. The Cardinals shrugged aside a 4-0, fourth-inning deficit and sent Houston to its seventh straight loss.

The Astros are 0-4 while getting outscored 32-8 since interim manager Tony DeFrancesco replaced Brad Mills as leader of the stripped-down roster. Houston has won just seven of its last 50 overall.

Ben Francisco had three hits for the Astros, who were swept for the third time this month and 12th overall.

Holliday's three-run double in the fifth inning was the go-ahead blow.

Jake Westbrook (13-9) won for the fourth time in five starts despite struggles with control two days after getting a new contract for next season with a mutual option for 2014.

Westbrook surrendered five runs on seven hits, two walks and two hit batters in five innings, ending a string of 13 consecutive starts of at least six innings.

Astros rookie lefty Dallas Keuchel (1-6) retired 11 of the first 12 batters, but six of his last seven reached base, one on an error. He earned his first career RBI on a sacrifice fly in the second, but was charged with five earned runs in four-plus innings.

The Cardinals totaled 17 hits and were 10 for 14 with runners in scoring position against five pitchers, one off their season best, to sweep the Astros for the first time since April 2009 and wrap up a 6-3 homestand with a string of contenders awaiting.

St. Louis starts a 10-game trip Friday night with three games at NL Central-leading Cincinnati, followed by three at wild card-contending Pittsburgh and four at NL East-leading Washington.

Like Westbrook, the 24-year-old Keuchel entered with decent recent numbers with three consecutive quality starts. He's 0-6 in nine starts since beating the Indians with a six-hitter on June 23.

Freese's 16th homer capped a two-out rally in the fourth. The Astros elected to pitch to Freese instead of Daniel Descalso, just 3 for 21 during the homestand to that point and batting .226.

The first five Cardinals reached safely to start the fifth, including an error. Holliday had been just 5 for 36 with two RBIs on the homestand, put St. Louis ahead 7-5 with his double.

NOTES: Craig has a 12-game hitting streak. He is batting .354 during his hitting streak with a homer, six doubles and six RBIs, raising his average to .313. ... Tyler Greene, traded from the Cardinals to Houston earlier this month, was 0 for 7 with five strikeouts in the series. Greene was a first-round pick in 2005 and became a fan target after numerous failures in St. Louis. ... ... Brett Wallace is 7 for 14 against Westbrook with four RBIs. ... Astros OF Justin Maxwell missed his second straight start with a bruised right index finger. ... Lance Lynn (13-5, 3.73 ERA) faces Mat Latos (10-3, 3.56) in the series opener against the Reds. ... The Astros open a three-game road series against the Mets, with Jordan Lyles (2-10, 5.70) set to start the opener against Jonathan Niese (10-6, 3.82).