The St. Louis Cardinals entered their road series against the Houston Astros with some momentum, but on Friday night they couldn't quite muster up enough runs and fell to the Astros 5-4. Jose Altuve blasted a three-run home run off Kyle Lohse in the second inning -- Lohse picked up his first loss of the season after a rocky 5.0 innings that included seven hits and five runs -- and the Cardinals never quite recovered.
Both bullpens pitched well, and Houston's relievers combined to hurl 3.2 innings of two-hit ball to protect the lead and secure the victory in the first game of a three-game set over the weekend. Rafael Furcal, Jon Jay and Matt Holliday each went 2-5 at the plate and each player scored a run -- with Holliday also driving in an RBI on a triple in the first inning -- but the rest of St. Louis' offense was held to just three hits.
On Saturday the Cardinals will look to get back on track, while the Astros hope to continue their strong play at home (8-5 in 2012).
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