Stros Battle Bucs
Just one week ago, the Houston Astros were in the mix for first place in the NL Central. They’re now trying to keep their division title hopes from slipping away.
The Astros look to avoid dropping a sixth straight game when they open a three-games series against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Tuesday at PNC Park.
Oddsmakers from Sportsbook.com have made Pittsburgh -104 money line favorites (MLB Odds) for tonight’s game, the over/under has been set at 9.5 total runs (Matchup). Current public betting information shows that 56% of bets for this game have been placed on Pittsburgh -104 (View MLB Bet Percentages).
Houston (30-28) was 1 1/2 games back of the NL Central-leading Chicago Cubs last Tuesday, but has lost a season-high five straight to drop seven games behind surging Chicago.
The Astros lost 10-1 to Milwaukee on Sunday, completing a three-game sweep in which they were outscored 19-3.
Houston’s offense has been virtually nonexistent, scoring just six runs while batting .181 and leaving 27 runners on base during the losing streak.
"It’s tough to generate anything without putting pressure on the pitcher," said Astros first baseman Lance Berkman, who was named the NL player of the month for May on Monday after batting .471 with nine home runs, 22 RBIs and 31 runs in 28 games.
Berkman has continued to hit while his teammates have struggled, going 7-for-18 (.389) with a solo homer and three doubles during the losing streak.
This is the first meeting of 2008 between these division rivals. The Pirates held a 10-5 edge in last season’s series.
Pittsburgh (27-30) defeated St. Louis 5-4 on Monday to split a four-game series with the Cardinals. Jason Michaels hit a game-tying pinch-hit grand slam in the seventh inning and Jason Bay drove in the winning run on a single in the eighth.
Fifteen of the Pirates’ 27 wins have been comebacks.
"It’s kind of been the character of this team that I think we lacked in years past,” Bay said.
Bay, who is batting .404 (21-for-52) with four home runs and 11 RBIs in his last 13 games, is 10-for-19 (.526) with two homers and four doubles lifetime against Tuesday’s scheduled Astros starter Wandy Rodriguez (1-1, 2.89 ERA).
Rodriguez allowed six runs – three earned – and six hits while walking four in 4 2-3 innings of a 6-1 loss at St. Louis on Wednesday, his first start since going on the 15-day disabled list April 20 with a strained left groin.
The left-hander once again takes to the road, where has never had much success. He has allowed 10 runs in 9 2-3 innings over two road starts this season, and is 3-11 with a 6.38 ERA in 18 road starts since the start of 2007.
Rodriguez is also 0-3 with a 5.87 ERA in his last four starts at PNC Park since his only win there on July 19, 2005. In four starts against the Pirates last season, he went 0-2 with a 7.20 ERA.
Pittsburgh counters with Phil Dumatrait (2-2, 3.52).
Dumatrait allowed an unearned run, two hits and had a career-high nine strikeouts in seven innings of a 7-2 win over Cincinnati on Thursday. The left-hander has given up two runs and seven hits over 12 2-3 innings in his last two starts.
This will be his first career outing against the Astros.
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