Houston @ Chicago preview
Wrigley Field
Last Meeting ( Apr 16, 2010 ) Houston 2, Chi. Cubs 7
Now that Alfonso Soriano is contributing something to the team, maybe the Chicago Cubs' fans will cut him some slack.
Soriano will be looking to put two good games together when the Cubs take on the Houston Astros on Saturday.
Soriano, who is still owed $18 million per season through 2014, doubled home the first run during a six-run seventh-inning rally on Friday that lifted the Cubs to a 7-2 win in the series opener. He finished with a pair of hits and scored the go-ahead run after stealing third base.
The much-maligned star carried over a terrible 2009 campaign to the beginning of 2010, piling up more strikeouts (eight) then hits (six) through the first nine games of the season. Add in his usual sub-par play in left field and Soriano had made his way firmly into manager Lou Piniella's doghouse and was drawing boos from the Wrigley Field faithful.
Piniella didn't start the 34-year-old former star on Thursday and suggested that Soriano would now be used in a rotation with Tyler Colvin and Xavier Nady. His strong showing on Friday should buy Soriano at least a one-day grace period with the fans.
One Chicago player who always has the fans on his side is slugger Derrek Lee, who capped the rally on Thursday with a three-run homer - his second blast in as many days. The veteran first baseman is now tied with Marlon Byrd and Aramis Ramirez for the team lead in homers and paces the club with eight RBIs.
Soriano and Lee will be taking their cuts against Astros ace Roy Oswalt. The veteran right-hander has yet to earn a win this season despite striking out 11 in 12 innings and allowing just five earned runs.
Oswalt and his fellow Houston pitchers have not been helped much by the worst offense in the major leagues. Star Lance Berkman has been on the disabled list since spring training following knee surgery and Hunter Pence and Carlos Lee are a combined 8-for-76 with one homer and two RBIs in the early going.
Houston managed just six hits in the series opener, getting RBIs from rookies Chris Johnson and Tommy Manzella in the 7-2 loss.
The Astros are no strangers to slow starts and have made a habit of second-half surges over the last decade, but a lack of organizational depth and an aging roster would seem to indicate that the club is in for a down season.
The Cubs will send left-hander Tom Gorzelanny to the hill. The 27-year-old earned the last spot in Chicago’s rotation with a strong spring and was stellar in his first outing, allowing just an unearned run while walking two and striking out seven in 6 1/3 innings Sunday at Cincinnati.