Florida @ Houston preview
Minute Maid Park
Last Meeting ( Apr 21, 2010 ) Florida 4, Houston 5
The Houston Astros made what may have been a risky decision at the time when they chose to let closer Jose Valverde leave town and sign with the Detroit Tigers during the offseason.
After all, Valverde recorded 69 saves over the past two seasons since arriving in a trade with the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Instead, the Astros decided to bring in a pair of set-up men with limited closing experience, let them compete and see who was left standing.
The risk seems to have paid off as Matt Lindstrom has seized control of the ninth-inning duties without a hiccup, while Brandon Lyon has manned his accustomed role as a late-inning reliever.
Lindstrom is a perfect 4-for-4 in save opportunities, most recently closing out Wednesday’s 5-4 win over the Florida Marlins. Lindstrom, who had a career-high 15 saves last season as a member of the Marlins, is currently sporting a 3.86 ERA with eight strikeouts.
Houston didn’t give Lindstrom a chance to attempt a save until the 11th game of the season, largely due to the team’s 0-8 start. Now, the Astros have won four straight, with Lindstrom earning the save in each of the victories.
The Astros will look to make it five in a row when they host the Marlins in the rubber match of the three-game series on Thursday.
Felipe Paulino draws the start for the Astros in his quest for his first win of the campaign. The right-hander took the loss in his last outing against the Chicago Cubs when he surrendered four runs on six hits in six innings.
The 26-year-old has made 30 starts throughout his career, going 5-1 with a 6.49 ERA.
Opposing him is Marlins right-hander Anibal Sanchez, who is 0-1 with a 6.75 ERA on the season. He was roughed up for five runs and eight hits with four walks over six innings in a loss to the Philadelphia Phillies in his last outing.
Sanchez has made two starts in his career against the Astros, going 1-0 with a 0.75 ERA.
The Astros dug out of an early 4-1 hole in Wednesday’s win as Geoff Blum had a two-run triple in the seventh inning to complete the comeback.
Jason Michaels, who went deep in the win, leads the club with two homers and five RBIs.
Marlins first baseman Jorge Cantu singled in the ninth inning to extend his 19-game hitting streak, which dates back to the end of last season.