Colorado @ Houston preview
Minute Maid Park
Last Meeting ( Jun 4, 2009 ) Colorado 10, Houston 3
The Colorado Rockies are coming off back-to-back losses to fall below .500. But that’s nothing a visit to Houston can’t cure.
The Rockies will be looking to get back on track today when they play the lowly.
Offense, traditionally Colorado’s strength, has been the problem recently, with the team managing just two runs in each of its last three games. At least Todd Helton, who entered Tuesday’s game without a homer and with just seven RBIs on the season, finally found his power stroke, accounting for both of the Rockies’ runs with a two-run shot against the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday.
Helton, a career .327 hitter with 326 home runs, upped his batting average to .274 after going 4-for-7 in two games against the Cubs.
Troy Tulowitzki is another player the Rockies are counting on who has yet to find the power, managing just one homer and driving in just two runs in his last 15 games.
But while Colorado’s woes have been bad enough to push it one game below .500, the Astros’ struggles have them pinned as the worst team in the National League.
Already owners of two separate losing streaks that stretched at least eight games, Houston watched its current slide extend to five games with a 7-3 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers on Tuesday.
As bad as the Rockies’ offense has been of late, the Astros have been worse than anyone else, placing last in the majors with just 115 runs scored and a .227 team batting average.
Houston has four regulars - Pedro Feliz, Carlos Lee, Tommy Manzella and Kaz Matsui - batting .217 or worse and even star Lance Berkman has struggled, batting .236 with 21 strikeouts in 89 at-bats.
The weak Astros bats will be taking their swings today against struggling left-hander Greg Smith. The 26-year-old got rocked for five runs – four earned – and eight hits in 5 2/3 innings against Philadelphia in his last start.
Smith’s biggest problem this season has been his command, with the youngster issuing 24 walks in 34 innings.
Houston will counter with its own struggling starter in Felipe Paulino (0-6). The winless right-hander has suffered the loss in each of his last six starts and is coming off the worst of the bunch, allowing seven runs and eight hits in 4 2/3 innings at San Francisco last Friday.
Paulino has faced the Rockies twice in his young career, going 0-1 while allowing 10 runs – nine earned – and 12 hits in 10 total innings.