Houston, TX (Sports Network) – J.B. Shuck drove in a pair of runs and Wandy Rodriguez posted eight scoreless innings as Houston took down San Francisco, 6-0, in the first of three between the clubs.
Carlos Corporan collected three hits, scored twice and knocked in a run for the Astros, who have won three in a row. Brian Bogusevic homered and scored twice.
Rodriguez (9-9) scattered five hits and walked two, but fanned eight and added a two-run single for the victory. It was a stellar performance despite a report in a Houston newspaper which cited sources that said Rodriguez, fellow starter Brett Myers and shortstop Clint Barmes had been placed on waivers.
Ryan Vogelsong (10-3) allowed four hits and five runs — only two earned — over seven full frames in defeat as the Giants lost for the fourth time in five games.
The Astros broke through in the third. Corporan’s double followed a Barmes leadoff walk, and both came in on Shuck’s one-out double.
Vogelsong worked out of a bases loaded jam in the fifth by striking out J.D. Martinez looking, but failed to remain unscathed in the sixth thanks to some shoddy defense.
After the first two batters were retired, Bogusevic reached on a Mark DeRosa fielding error before Barmes was plunked. Corporan’s base hit scored Bogusevic, and he reached second when right fielder Nate Schierholtz failed to field the ball cleanly. Rodriguez followed with a two-run single but was thrown out at second to end the rally.
“I just tried to make contact and I hit it pretty good,” Rodriguez said.
Bogusevic added a solo homer into the bullpen in right center in the eighth, and Jeff Fulchino shut the door in the ninth.
During his outing, Rodriguez only allowed two baserunners to reach second — Aubrey Huff in the second and DeRosa on a double in the eighth. Huff was thrown out at the plate on a Mike Fontenot single to end the second, while DeRosa was stranded.
“We’re not hitting, and it’s hard to score runs when you’re not getting into scoring position,” cried Giants manager Bruce Bochy.
Game Notes
For Rodriguez, those were his first RBIs this year…He also became the seventh pitcher in Astros history to record at least nine wins in the first seven years with club, joining Joe Niekro, Larry Dierker, Roy Oswalt, Nolan Ryan, Don Wilson and Mike Scott…Prior to the game, the Giants placed catcher Eli Whiteside on the seven-day disabled list with a concussion and recalled catcher Hector Sanchez from Triple-A Fresno…The last time San Francisco was blanked in two straight games came on May 22-23, 2010 at Oakland. The Giants dropped a 1-0 decision in Atlanta on Thursday.