Houston @ Los Angeles preview
Dodger Stadium
Last Meeting ( May 17, 2010 ) Houston 2, LA Dodgers 6
As the Los Angeles Dodgers continue to roll up victories, the list of solid starting pitching performances also keeps growing and growing.
The quartet of Clayton Kershaw (two), Chad Billingsley (two), John Ely (two) and Hiroki Kuroda (one) has seven victories during the Dodgers’ eight-game winning streak. Prior to the streak, the four pitchers had just six wins - three by Kuroda.
The Dodgers will be seeking consecutive win No. 9 on Tuesday night when they again host the Houston Astros. Los Angeles won the opener of the two-game series, 6-2, on Monday.
Kuroda will be on the mound for the Dodgers, who are suddenly the hottest team in baseball. Los Angeles (21-17) has outscored its opponents, 43-15, during its winning streak.
Closer Jonathan Broxton has five saves during the streak as the Los Angeles starters continually put him in save situations.
Kuroda (4-1) allowed two earned runs and six hits in 7 1/3 innings in his lone victory during the streak. He struck out nine and walked one.
Kuroda has a 2.66 ERA and has pitched seven or more innings in four of his seven starts. He has allowed two or fewer earned runs five times.
The Dodgers will again be without star right fielder Andre Ethier (pinkie) on Tuesday. The club is still pondering whether or not to put Ethier on the disabled list.
Ethier has been perhaps the best position player in baseball this season. He’s hitting .392 with 11 homers and 38 RBIs.
The Astros are glad not to be dealing with Ethier, who has a .343 career batting average against them.
Bud Norris (2-4) will be on the mound for Houston, trying to stop the Astros’ four-game losing skid.
Norris is 2-0 against the St. Louis Cardinals this season and has been clobbered by everybody else.
The hurler has allowed only one earned run in 13 innings against St. Louis - in his other five starts, he has surrendered 22 earned runs in 21 1/3 innings.
Norris has pitched five innings or less in six of his seven starts. His season ERA is 6.03.
The Astros (13-25) have the worst record in the National League and have struggled to find cohesiveness with the continual pattern of lineup shuffling. Houston has used 36 different lineups through 38 games.
The double-play combination Monday consisted of Geoff Blum at shortstop (his first start at the position) and Jeff Keppinger at second base.
Regular shortstop Tommy Manzella is hitting just .178 and is the midst of a 3-for-35 slump. Starting second baseman Kaz Matsui is hitting even worse – he’s at .149 with just one hit in his last 24 at-bats.
Houston cleanup hitter Carlos Lee is among the struggling players. Lee is batting just .193 with three homers and 12 RBIs.