Another Big Inning Dooms Astros In DeFrancesco's Debut

All those Oklahoma City players in the lineup and Tony DeFrancesco couldn't win? Preposterous!

The Diamondbacks are the kind of team Houston wishes it could be in a couple of years. Marketable stars. Power hitters. Productive farm system and a relentlessness offensively that puts pressure on pitchers every single inning.

That's what happened to Armando Galarraga, who started out fairly nicely for the first three frames and just had the wheels fall off in the fourth. He gave up the leadoff home run, then couldn't find the strike zone. Walks, extra-base hits, it didnt' matter what he did, he got into trouble.

As for the rest of the team, Tyler Greene continued to look good, charging a double into right field. Can he just start all the time at home? Is that feasible? Brett Wallace started, but started at third. Before the game, DeFrancesco had nothing but positive things to stay about Wallace and said he could definitely play a fine third base if needed. He complimented him on his physique, and generally seemed to be a fan. I wonder if he'll put him in a shortstop sometime soon.

Barnes had a nice single, Altuve drew a walk, but it was pretty bleak offensively against Ian Kennedy. Heck, it's been pretty bleak overall for a while now and figures to be for the rest of the season too. I hope DeFrancesco gets a fair shake in this deal, but it doesn't look like this club was a managerial firing away from playing well again.

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