Chicago @ Houston preview
Minute Maid Park
Last Meeting ( Apr 18, 2010 ) Houston 3, Chi. Cubs 2
From the moment he was asked to help bolster the Chicago Cubs' struggling bullpen, Carlos Zambrano has been eager to rejoin the starting rotation.
But the big right-hander probably doesn't mind the most recent delay.
Zambrano's scheduled return to his familiar role as a starter was pushed back two days when Wednesday’s game against Pittsburgh was postponed, bumping his first start since April 20 to tonight's series opener at Houston.
And Zambrano has enjoyed pitching against the Astros, especially in recent years.
The demonstrative 29-year-old is 13-7 with a 2.54 ERA in 29 appearances against Houston, 27 of them starts. He has allowed one run or fewer in each of his last four starts against the Astros, including a no-hitter in which he struck out 10 on Sept. 14, 2008. Zambrano is 2-0 with a 0.90 ERA in those four outings.
Zambrano (1-3, 6.12 ERA) had mixed results during his stint in the bullpen. He was 0-1 with a 4.15 ERA in 13 relief appearances, but most of the damage came in two outings. He didn't allow a run in any of his last five relief stints.
The Cubs hope that success carries over tonight against the Astros, who have their seven-game homestand off to a good start.
Houston won the last three games of its four-game set with Washington, taking the finale on Carlos Lee's walk-off two-run homer Thursday.
Lee is the only regular starter with a career average over .250 against Zambrano - he is 21-for-55 with five homers and 14 RBIs against him.
Outfielder Hunter Pence has been the Astros' hottest hitter for the past four weeks. Pence is hitting .344 since May 9, with seven homers and 19 RBIs during that span. He has been even hotter more recently, going 17-for-43 (.395) with three homers and eight RBIs in his last 11 games.
Utility infielder Jeff Keppinger also has been a key cog in the Astros' offense, hitting .370 in 17 games since May 17.
Houston could use a productive offensive performance in support of Felipe Paulino (0-7, 4.40). The Astros have averaged only 2.7 runs in Paulino's 10 starts, and they've scored two runs or fewer in seven of them.
Paulino (0-7, 4.40) has posted quality starts in three consecutive outings and four of his last five, but he still doesn't have a win to show for it.
The 26-year-old right-hander couldn't pitch much better than he did Sunday at Cincinnati, when he allowed four hits and four walks over eight scoreless innings but still didn't factor in the decision in Houston's 2-0 win.
Paulino has faced the Cubs three times - two of them starts - and is 0-2 with a 7.82 ERA against them. He took the loss in a 7-2 Chicago victory on April 16, allowing five runs on six hits in six innings.
No Cubs player has more than five at-bats against Paulino, but Alfonso Soriano has the best record against him, going 3-for-4 with a homer.
Chicago's offense has been dreadful lately. The Cubs have lost four of five, and they've scored a total of 11 runs over their past six games, hitting .197 as a team during that span.
The one exception to the slump has been Xavier Nady, who went 4-for-4 with a homer in Tuesday's 3-2 loss to Pittsburgh, raising his average from .222 to .263.