Recap: Florida vs. Houston
Sports Network | September 16, 2008
Miami, FL (Sports Network) - Chris Volstad tossed eight brilliant innings to lead the streaking Florida Marlins to a 5-1 win over the Houston Astros in the opener of a three-game series at Dolphin Stadium.
Volstad (5-3) allowed one run on four hits and struck out four batters for the Marlins, who have won six straight and trail the New York Mets by five games in the NL East. New York lost to Washington, 1-0, on Tuesday.
Jorge Cantu drilled a three-run homer while Hanley Ramirez produced two hits and two runs scored in the win.
Michael Bourn scored the lone run for Houston, which came into Tuesday's action 2 1/2 games back in the race for the NL wild card.
Astros starting pitcher Roy Oswalt entered the game with an 8-1 mark in his last 10 starts but suffered the loss. Oswalt (15-10) yielded five runs -- three earned -- on six hits over six innings with 10 strikeouts.
The Marlins wasted no time in this one and scored four times in the first inning. Leadoff batter Ramirez reached first base on an error and headed for second when John Baker followed with a single. Cantu then drilled a fastball over the wall in left field. Later in the inning, Dan Uggla walked and came around to score on a double by Cody Ross.
Another Florida run in the home second made it a 5-0 score. Ramirez singled and crossed the plate on Mike Jacobs' base hit.
Volstad kept the Houston bats in check through the middle innings. He pitched a 1-2-3 fourth, worked around a leadoff single by David Newhan in the fifth and twirled perfect half-innings in both the sixth and seventh.
Houston scored its only run in the top of the eighth when a grounder by Kazuo Matsui allowed Bourn to score.
Joe Nelson and Arthur Rhodes combined to pitch the ninth inning.
The Marlins outhit the Astros, 8-5...Oswalt's 2008 earned run average is now 3.57...The home run was Cantu's 27th of the season...Attendance was 12,232.
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