HOUSTON — Before Sunday’s game, the Astros passed out “Kaz’s Kids” T-shirts. Then Kazuo Matsui went out and beat the Rockies, his old team, with a two-run single in the eighth inning.
“Just lucky,” the second baseman said after winning a battle against reliever Brian Fuentes.
But Fuentes, charged with the loss after surrendering his first runs of the season, didn’t label it lucky.
“I was trying to pitch away from him and I ran it inside,” Fuentes said. “He did a good job of hitting. He battles you.”
Matsui, who played his first game of the season Friday night after coming off the disabled list, went 2-for-5 with two RBIs and stole his first base.
Vizcaino setback.
Don’t look for high-priced right-hander Luis Vizcaino to return to the bullpen anytime soon. He was supposed to throw a side session against hitters Saturday, but that was scratched when he felt discomfort in his ailing right shoulder. He is penciled in for a bullpen session today, but that is in doubt, too.
“When he gets back to Denver, we’ll get a better handle on it,” pitching coach Bob Apodaca said. “We’ll be conservative and make sure it doesn’t turn into something that is longer than it needs to be. We’ll have our doctors look at it. I don’t know what the next step will be.”
Vizcaino, on the DL since April 4, has missed 15 games.
“I’m feeling a little better,” said Vizcaino, who signed a two-year, $7.5 million free-agent deal in the offseason. After making 77 relief appearances with the Yankees last season, he has thrown 1 1/3 innings this season.
Footnotes.
Despite losing Sunday, the Rockies won their first series at Minute Maid Park since the stadium opened in 2000. . . . Greeley’s Shawn Chacon started for the Astros and had his fourth straight quality start. His ERA is 2.77, but the former Rockie still doesn’t have a win this season. . . . Houston’s Jose Valverde earned his 100th career save, setting the Rockies down in the ninth.
Patrick Saunders, The Denver Post
