Now THAT was a Game that Had EVERYTHING!

I can't recall a single baseball game or the post game news afterward that had as much going for it than Tuesday's 11-6 Astro win over the Cubs at Wrigley Field.

We had two pitchers go down... one to the hospital in Chicago...the other set to return to Houston for further examination.

We had two pitchers get their first major league hits...one of them (Wesley Wright) on his first major league at bat. The other (Jeff Fulchino) hit a double then had to dive back into third when the next hitter (Michael Bourn) hit a single up the middle flagged down by the second baseman who had an ideaFulchino might be unfamiliar running bases. We had a ball hit into Fulchino's shirt for a single. We had the Astros lose their most veteran star pitcher in the second inning then survive relievers giving up ten walks--four of them that scored and still win!

Before the game we had a pitcher, LaTroy Hawkins, put on the disabled list due to an extreme case of shingles that had settled in his back. His replacement is a 42 year old pitcher, Doug Brocail, coming back from a revolutionary treatment for a torn hamstring that involved injecting his own concentrated blood platelets into the injury site to speed healing. And it has apparently worked.

After the game the media received the news on Wright that he had been sent to a Chicago hospital with an apparent case of appendicitis

Starter Roy Oswalt is flying back to Houston Wednesday to be further examined. He left the game in the 2nd inning with a left lower back strain. After the game he said he couldn't throw his fast ball after he struck out Aramis Ramirez in the 2nd...so he used curves and slow stuff to fool Bradley into a called strike three before having to give it up with a 1-1 count on Soriano. Bud Norris has been called up from Round Rock and another pitcher may be needed as well.

Deduction says Wright has to go on the DL due to his appendix...and Oswalt may be headed that way as well. So, at this moment--although Cecil Cooper was plain in saying nothing had been decided yet--it would appear Norris would go into the rotation and one more pitcher would have to join the staff. We will know more tomorrow possibly. However, since Oswalt doesn't pitch for five more days and the need right now is for bullpen help Norris may have to work in that role as early as tomorrow for an inning or so. He could still start on Oswalt's normal day next weekend.

Oh, the game? Eleven runs on 17 hits outpaced six runs on five hits plus those ten walks. Miggy Tejada had a two run homer and five RBIs. Jeff Keppinger, starting at second base, had four hits and three RBI's including a two run triple that broke open a 7-6 lead. The Astros got that lead from a 6-6 tie on a Geoff Blum solo homer.

Houston had a 4-0 lead disappear after the walks starting happening and maybe the appendix pain started too. Wesley Wright walked five batters in his last inning giving up three runs. That cut the Astros lead to 4-3. The Astros made it 6-3 on Tejadas homer. But the Cubs got to a tie off Fulchino when Fukudome led off the 5th with a bouncer up the middle that Fulchino tried to glove and then couldn't find. It had snuck inside his shirt. A base hit granted. After getting an out he walked Derrek Lee. Then Aramis Ramirez tied the game at six on his 8th HR.

Enter Blum in the 7th...then Keppinger in the 8th..and finally Coste with an RBI bloop single to score Hunter Pence who had doubled in the 9th.

Tim Byrdak and Jose Valverde closed things out. The Astros won...now back within two of the Cubs, but there is a new (old) leader in the NL Central. The Cards are back on top. Wonder if the Chicago Tribune will play the fall back to second for the Cubs like they did the jump to the top two days ago? I guess not.

Not much rest... day game on Wed... FS Houston will have Astros Live pregame at 12:30... First pitch at 1:20... and Twitter coverage as well to get things started.