Source: Houston Chronicle

So the Astros won one of those close games that have been eating away at their record all season. Now how to bottle that up moving forward in a marathon whose first couple miles have been much better than the Astros' pace would indicate?

The Astros beat the Brewers 7-5 on Wednesday on the strength of Jose Altuve's career-high four hits, another good day from J.D. Martinez, and a solid effort from the bullpen.

So what exactly changed? Altuve has been finding holes all year, Martinez has been getting on base, and the bullpen has been — in one of the most pleasant reversals from last year — outstanding, boasting a 3.11 ERA. Nothing new there.

That's why the difference between wins and losses is sometimes razor thin.

"This game, if you look at it, came right down to it again," said Martinez, whose team has had 11 of its 19 games decided by one or two runs. "A guy on third with (National League MVP Ryan) Braun up. What can you do? This time it went our way."

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