Houston Astros' Bud Norris aggravates knee in 6-3 loss to Giants - LubbockOnline.com

SAN FRANCISCO â€" Bud Norris was pitching well until he felt something in his cranky left knee. It kept getting worse, forcing an early departure.

“It’s sore,” Norris said Tuesday night after lasting 3 1-3 innings in the Houston Astros’ 6-3 loss to the San Francisco Giants. “I tweaked the knee, no doubt about it. Ever since Colorado (on May 31) I’ve tried to get better. I’m pretty frustrated about it.”

Norris (5-4) lost his third straight start and is winless over his past four decisions.

“He had his good stuff too,” Astros catcher Jason Castro said. “He was able to locate. I know he landed hard on it and I’m sure that didn’t feel too good.”

Madison Bumgarner had a season-high 12 strikeouts and hit his first major league home run to lead the Giants.

Brian Bixler singled, doubled and drove in both runs for Houston, which has lost 12 of its last 16 games.

Bumgarner (8-4) struck out the side in the first, allowed an unearned run in the third following Brandon Crawford’s two-out throwing error then kept the Astros in check before leaving in the eighth.

The left-hander reached double digits in strikeouts for the third time in his last five starts, didn’t walk a batter for the third time this season and retired 11 of 13 until pinch-hitter Brian Bogusevic’s single leading off the eighth.

Two batters later Bixler hit an RBI double to pull Houston within 4-2 and chase Bumgarner.

Bogusevic has four hits in eight pinch-hit appearances this season and is hitting .340 (17-for-50) over his career as a pinch-hitter. Bixler has four hits in 12 at-bats over his past three games.

Norris, who walked three and hit a batter, appeared to get hurt after chasing a pop-up in foul territory in the fourth. Norris was unable to make the catch and nearly collided with Gregor Blanco, the on-deck hitter, then slowly walked back to the mound where he met with a team trainer and manager Brad Mills before attempting a few warm-up pitches.

“He started to change his motion a little bit so that’s why we had to go get him,” Mills said. “He was throwing the ball well and then those three walks in one inning.”