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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME LOG
MILWAUKEE (AP) -- If Chris Holt had realized the significance of Ron Belliard's line drive in the second inning, he might have leaped out of his shoes trying to stop it.
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| Holt |
Holt pitched a one-hitter for his first career complete game as the Houston Astros beat the Milwaukee Brewers 7-0 on Friday night.
Helped along by early run support and a slumping Milwaukee
lineup, Holt didn't allow a runner to reach second base while
recording his first career shutout.
Belliard's hit was a clean single over Holt's head. Afterward,
Holt couldn't even remember the ball that deprived him of a
no-hitter.
"All it took was for me to get a little confidence in my
pitches," Holt said. "I had all my pitches going early, and we
were able to get a lot of their balls on the ground."
Holt (1-3), whose ERA dropped from 11.51 to 7.98, got his first
victory of the year by striking out three and walking two. He
induced three double plays and 13 additional ground ball outs with
a wicked sinker.
"I've gotten close (to a shutout) before, but this was probably
my best game at the major league level," Holt said.
The Astros had been worried about the young right-hander's
mental toughness as he started the season with three straight
losses.
"When he pitches the way he's capable of pitching, he's
impressive," Houston manager Larry Dierker said. "I haven't been
worried about him in terms of his stuff, but I was worried about
his confidence. He showed me a lot tonight."
Richard Hidalgo homered and doubled as the Astros became the
latest team to pound Milwaukee starter Jaime Navarro (0-5). He gave
up three homers, six hits and three walks in 2 1/3 dismal innings.
Navarro, who was acquired in an offseason trade with the White
Sox and will make a team-high $5 million this year, was
relentlessly booed by the County Stadium crowd -- even drawing loud
boos as he took the mound before the game began.
The discontent increased when Jeff Bagwell, the game's third
hitter, pounded a belt-high fastball off the right-field pole for
his eighth homer of the season.
After Ken Caminiti flied out to end the first inning, Daryle
Ward and Hidalgo hit consecutive homers to lead off the second. It
was the second time this season the Astros have hit back-to-back
home runs, and each shot only increased the volume of booing.
Navarro and three relievers allowed 11 walks, two shy of
Milwaukee's club record.
"We always have options, and we'll address that very, very
soon," Milwaukee manager Davey Lopes testily replied when asked
about Navarro's status. "We'll see what's best for the
organization. There's a lot to discuss and think about."
Houston began a 10-game road trip, its longest of the season, on
a positive note. The Astros dropped to last place in the NL Central
by losing nine of their first 12 games at new Enron Field,
including two straight to the Chicago Cubs to close the homestand.
"We actually won a game like we were supposed to," Bagwell
said. "We got great pitching, (and) we scored some runs early. We
haven't done that for a long time."
The Brewers, who played 16 of their first 22 games on the road,
opened a 10-game homestand with the first of four against Houston.
Milwaukee, which just finished a 2-7 road trip, lost for the ninth
time in 11 games and held a closed-doors team meeting after the
game.
In the third, Navarro walked light-hitting shortstop Tim Bogar
with the bases loaded, putting the Astros up 6-0. Pitching coach
Bob Apodaca finally removed Navarro in favor of Valerio De Los
Santos, and the boos rained down.
Game notes
It was Houston's first one-hitter since Sept. 17, 1993,
when Pete Harnisch did it. ... Miller Park continues to near completion just beyond the outfield bleachers. Fans can now see the
first half of the stadium's massive name sign, and new roof beams
have been lifted into place. ... Caminiti hit into two double
plays. ... Milwaukee's Steve Woodard will make his regularly scheduled Monday start. Milwaukee was worried about him after he
hurt his right wrist while swinging at a pitch in a loss at St.
Louis on Wednesday. ... In other Brewers rehab news, catcher Henry
Blanco will play two games with Triple-A Indianapolis on Sunday and
Monday before returning to the Brewers. Blanco sustained a deep cut
on one of his fingers two weeks ago.
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ALSO SEE
Baseball Scoreboard
Houston Clubhouse
Milwaukee Clubhouse
RECAPS
Baltimore 4
Texas 3
Cleveland 4
Boston 3
Chi. White Sox 3
Detroit 2
NY Yankees 6
Toronto 0
Kansas City 8
Seattle 5
Oakland 5
Minnesota 2
Tampa Bay 11
Anaheim 2
Chicago Cubs 6
Arizona 5
Houston 7
Milwaukee 0
St. Louis 7
Philadelphia 4
Pittsburgh 2
Cincinnati 1
Colorado 12
NY Mets 5
Atlanta 7
San Diego 2
Los Angeles 5
Florida 3
Montreal 9
San Francisco 3
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