Diamondbacks rout Astros 12-2

The Skinny: The Arizona Diamondbacks brought their hitting shoes to Minute Maid Park in Houston, scorching the Astros 12-2 in a game that was never in doubt. The Diamondbacks scored 3 runs in the first inning off of Astros’ starter Wandy Rodriguez and never looked back. The 12 runs was more than enough run support for Brandon Webb, who notched his 18th victory of the season, tying his career high set last season. The loss ended the Astros 8-game winning streak.

Player(s) of the Game: It’s a tie between Webb and catcher Chris Snyder. Webb not only dominated the Houston lineup for 8 innings, but was very efficient in doing so. The right hander gave up just 4 hits and 2 runs while throwing only 82 pitches in the process. Snyder, a Houston native, made the most of his homecoming, going 2 for 4 with a mammoth home run, and 4 rbis.

What happened to? Wandy Rodriguez, the Astros starter struggled mightily, walking 6 batters in just 2 1/3 innings of work. Reliever Tim Byrdak, who had a miniscule ERA of 2.84 in 46 previous appearances, was lit up by the Diamondbacks. Byrdak gave up 6 runs in 3 innings of work, including 3 home runs.

Drew watch: Diamondbacks’ shortstop Stephen Drew had 2 doubles, extending his career-long hitting streak to 17 games.

What the heck?: Chris Burke, who hadn’t homered all season before Thursday’s game in Colorado, went deep again Friday in his own Houston homecoming. It was only the second time Burke had homered in back-to-back games, and the first time since the 2005 postseason. While with the Astros, Burke clinched the NLDS over the Atlanta Braves with a solo home run in the 18th inning, ending the longest postseason game in baseball history. He then homered again in Game 1 of the NLCS vs. St. Louis. Burke also raised his average above the Mendoza line (.200) for the first time since June 4th, and only the second time all season.

Repercussions: The Diamondbacks coasted to a win, and the Dodgers kept pace, beating Milwaukee 5-3 to remain tied atop the National League West.

MLB.com: Recap | Boxscore

Here’s what others are saying about the Diamondbacks’ pasting of the Astros…

Webb, D-Backs pound Astros [Azcentral]

Homecoming homers lead D-Backs in rout of Astros [East Valley Tribune]

Astros’ streak ends as D-Backs roll to 12-2 win [Houston Chronicle]

The series continues Saturday with Yusmeiro Petit of the Diamondbacks facing Houston’s Brandon Backe. First pitch is at 4:05 Arizona time.

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Tags: Arizona Diamondbacks, Brandon Webb, Chris Burke, Chris Snyder, Stephen Drew, Yusmeiro Petit