Colorado @ Houston preview
Minute Maid Park
Last Meeting ( May 19, 2010 ) Colorado 3, Houston 7
Houston fans haven't had much to get excited about this season, but a battle between two of the National League's top pitchers should put people in the seats at least.
Ubaldo Jimenez and Roy Oswalt will square off when the Astros close out a two-game series against the Colorado Rockies on Thursday.
Jimenez has thrust himself onto the short list for best pitcher in baseball with his performance so far this season, tossing a no-hitter against the Atlanta Braves on April 17 and not allowing more than two runs in any of his eight starts.
The Dominican right-hander works with a fastball that stays in the high-90's late into his starts and features as much action as any fastball in the league. Jimenez uses that pitch to induce a healthy number of groudballs while also ranking near the top of the league with 54 strikeouts.
The most talented pitcher ever to come up through the Rockies system, Jimenez has allowed only one homer this season and leads the NL with a 1.12 ERA. His .184 batting average against is also tops in the league.
Jimenez is almost single-handedly keeping the Colorado rotation above water, accounting for nearly half of the starter's 15 wins.
Oswalt knows all about carrying a staff, as the vetern right-hander leads the Houston corps in nearly every stastical category but has only two wins to show for his effort. Oswalt sits right behind Jimenez in the NL with 52 strikeouts and ranks 10th in the circuit with a 2.62 ERA.
Yet despite not allowing more than three earned runs in any of his last four outings and going at least seven innings in each, Oswalt is 0-3 over that span. The Astros have only mustered seven runs of support and never scored more than four in any of his starts this season.
The 32-year-old Mississippi native indicated recently that he would be open to waiving his no-trade clause if it would help the Astros rebuild, but owner Drayton McLane has always been fond of Oswalt and is never one to give up on a season despite all signs pointing the other direction.
Should McLane choose to break down the team, there would be no shortage of suitors for Oswalt. He is owed $16 million next season with a club option for 2012 at the same rate or a $2 million buyout.
Houston took the series opener, 7-3, on Wednesday, snapping a 3-3 tie with a seventh-inning rally. Cory Sullivan kicked the big frame off with an RBI single before Jeff Keppinger provided the big blow - a three-run double off Esmil Rogers.
The win snapped a five-game slide for the Astros, who own the worst record in the NL.
Colorado has dropped three in a row and has failed to push more than three runs across in its last four contests.