"One strike. One out. All Astros pitcher Ryan Rowland-Smith(Above) needed was either/or to emerge from his first spring-training start unscathed. With two outs and nobody on base in the second inning against the St. Louis Cardinals, Rowland-Smith worked the count to 1-2 on Skip Schumaker. And walked him. The Cardinals pounced on Rowland-Smith for three runs and cruised to a 10-2 victory against the Astros on Friday afternoon at Osceola County Stadium. It became a familiar pattern for the Astros, who allowed nine of the Cardinals' runs with two outs. "I was trying to overdo it a bit – that putaway pitch," Rowland-Smith said. Next thing Rowland Smith knew, he'd allowed a single to Gerald Laird, a double to Matt Carpenter and a single to John Jay. Rowland-Smith, the only lefthander among the five candidates for the fifth spot in the starting rotation, allowed three runs on four hits with a walk and a strikeout in his two innings. Instead of fret over his pitching line, Rowland-Smith preferred to focus on the way he mixed in two-seam fastballs with changeups and breaking balls." Read more: http://blog.chron.com/ultimateastros/2011/03/04/carnage-in-kissimmee-cardinals-10-astros-2/
