Yu Darvish has proven to be a bad matchup for the Astros, and his start on Friday night was no different.
Yu Darvish nearly no-hits the Astros again
After coming within one out of a perfect game against the Astros in 2013, Yu Darvish pitched five perfect innings against Houston on Friday, giving up just one hit over eight frames.
Ronald Martinez
Darvish carried a perfect game into the sixth inning before giving up a single to Matt Dominguez, which proved to be one of two Houston batters that Darvish allowed on base in his outing. The right-hander allowed just two balls out of the infield through the first five innings before surrendering the single to Dominguez.
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On the night, Darvish struck out nine Houston hitters and walked just one. No Astro reached second base while Darvish was on the mound.
Darvish's flirtation with perfection was reminiscent of his outing against the Astros last April when the Rangers hurler retired the first 26 batters he faced before allowing a single up the middle to Marwin Gonzalez. Later on in 2013, Darvish nearly no-hit Houston again, carrying a no-hitter into the eighth inning before ultimately giving up a home run to Carlos Corporan.
In seven career outings against the Astros, Darvish has given up just 13 earned runs, while striking out 4.8 times as many batters as he has walked.
Given that they play in the same division, chances are Darvish will have a few more attempts to no-hit the Astros before the season is over.
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