HOUSTON (AP) -The last time Carlos Zambrano faced the Houston Astros, he pitched a no-hitter against them.
The Chicago Cubs ace starts the season opener at Minute Maid Park on Monday, and the Astros remember a lot of things about that previous matchup.
Hard feelings resulted after the game was moved from Houston to Milwaukee, just 90 miles from Chicago, because of damage from Hurricane Ike.
In the wake of the powerful storm, the Astros had to deal with Zambrano’s gem, along with boos from the decidedly pro-Chicago crowd. Houston had won 14 of 15 before that game to get back in contention in the NL wild-card race, but Zambrano and the Cubs derailed any playoff hopes.
“It doesn’t bother me any,” Astros manager Cecil Cooper said. “We’re going to have to face him at some point during the year, so it doesn’t bother me any and I’m sure it doesn’t bother our players any. We’re just going to go out and play what we play.”
int of Houston’s season, pitcher Roy Oswalt pointed the storm rather than the game.
“The hurricane,” said Oswalt, who will start the opener. “I don’t know about the game. I don’t think anyone really worried about the game. Our minds were on a little bit different stuff than playing baseball that night.”
Zambrano isn’t counting on what happened in the last game to help him on Monday.
“Good things happen in the past you celebrate it and you kind of remember and think of that for a great moment, and bad things that happen in the past you just leave it,” he said. “It’s a new game and a new season.”
Zambrano, who was 14-6 with a 3.91 ERA last season, believes facing the Astros will be more difficult this time around.
“They have a much better offense – Ivan Rodriguez and they have Carlos Lee back,” Zambrano said. “At that time Carlos Lee wasn’t in the lineup. He was hurt. Now is a new challenge. I just have to go out and perform and do a good job.”
Houston slugger Lance Berkman agrees that the addition of Rodriguez is a big boost. Signed last month, Rodriguez is a career .301 hitter.
“We haven’t had a catcher in a while that has his offensive resume and his capabilities from an offensive standpoint,” Berkman said. “It makes for a big difference because it kind of plugs up a hole in our lineup that we had. I think it makes us that much tougher to pitch to.”
r Lou Piniella hopes his team shakes off its recent sluggish play, capped by a 10-1 loss to the Yankees on Saturday.
“It was a long spring,” he said. “We’ve had two times when we’ve played poorly – right after that Vegas trip (and Saturday). But (Saturday) was by far the worst game. The pitching wasn’t good. We played poorly in the field.”
All the drama from last year aside, both teams know the importance of doing well early against a division opponent.
“We need to get off to a good start,” Piniella said. “It’s a park where we historically have gotten off to a bad start.”
Cooper is glad his team is starting this season with a division rival.
“It will get you revved up right away,” he said. “You’ve got to be excited about that. You want to be in your own division fighting right off the bat.”
Oswalt will extend a franchise record with his seventh consecutive opening day start for Houston. His last meeting with the Cubs was one of his top performances from last season. He allowed four hits in 8 1-3 innings of a 3-0 win on Sept. 1.
He, too, says facing Zambrano doesn’t make this game any more significant.
“I think opening day is big, it doesn’t really matter who you start against you’re going to be a little more amped up for anybody,” he said. “It should be fun.”
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