Houston @ Cincinnati preview
Great American Ball Park
Last Meeting ( May 29, 2010 ) Houston 2, Cincinnati 12
The Cincinnati Reds appear to be on the way to rewriting team history and look to sweep the Houston Astros for the second time this season on their way to doing so.
Fresh off another home-run hitting barrage, the Reds go for the sweep when the teams conclude their three-game series Sunday at the Great American Ballpark.
A win today would be Cincinnati's fifth straight and help it improve o 6-0 against National League Central rival Houston this season.
On Saturday, the Reds hit six homers, including two each by Jay Bruce and Ramon Hernandez, en route to a 12-2 drubbing of the lowly Astros.
It marked the 18th straight game in which Cincinnati has homered, the third-longest streak in franchise history. The 1986 Reds homered in 19 games in a row and the 1956 club set the franchise record with a 21-game streak.
Mike Leake (4-0, 2.70 ERA) looks to become the next Cincinnati pitcher to get tremendous run support. The Reds have won the first two games of the series by scoring a total of 27 runs.
Making his 10th start of the season, Leake has two straight no-decisions and five overall. He does have a win this season against Houston, going seven innings and allowing a run and five hits in a 6-4 victory at Houston on April 28.
Leake has given up more than three runs just once this season, and three of his wins have come at home.
As hot as Cincinnati is right now, Felipe Paulino is as cold.
Today’s starter for the Astros, Paulino (0-7, 5.08) faced Leake and the Reds on April 28 and yielded six runs - two earned - and six hits in five innings with four strikeouts and four walks. In six career starts against Cincinnati, Paulino is 1-4 with a 5.51 ERA.
While Paulino's record is bad, it has not been all the right-hander’s fault. Houston, the lowest-scoring team in baseball, has been able to scratch together just 25 runs in Paulino's nine starts, including just 12 in his seven losses.
On the few occasions when Houston scores for Paulino, he ends up with a no-decision. The Astros managed six runs in his first start of the season but lost 9-6 to Philadelphia. They put up seven runs on May 19 and knocked off the Rockies 7-3, the only victory by Houston this season in a game started by Paulino.