Chicago @ Houston preview
Minute Maid Park
Last Meeting ( Jun 4, 2010 ) Chi. Cubs 1, Houston 3
Perhaps a change of scenery would help Houston Astros ace Roy Oswalt reconcile his sterling ERA and his lackluster record. It certainly has worked for Carlos Silva in his first season with the Chicago Cubs.
Oswalt and Silva square off on Saturday at Minute Maid Park in the second of a three-game set - and while their ERAs are comparable, their records are far from it.
Silva (7-0, 3.12 ERA) has won his last five starts to become the first Cubs pitcher to win his first seven decisions since Ken Holtzman started 9-0 in 1967.
The Cubs weren't sure what they would get when they acquired Silva from the Seattle Mariners in an offseason trade for outfielder Milton Bradley, but he has turned out to be their most consistent starter.
The 31-year-old right-hander has seven quality starts among his 10 outings this year, and he had his best showing yet Saturday against the St. Louis Cardinals. He allowed just two hits in seven scoreless innings while racking up a career-high 11 strikeouts.
Silva beat the Astros on April 16, when he gave up two unearned runs on five hits over seven innings in a 7-2 victory. He is 2-0 with a 3.12 ERA in seven career appearances against Houston, though only two of them were starts.
Silva has been the beneficiary of strong run support - the Cubs have averaged 6.86 runs per game in his starts - but he shouldn't expect that to continue on Saturday. The Cubs have scored a total of five runs during their four-game losing streak, and they haven't scored more than five in a game since May 18, when Silva picked up the win in a 6-2 victory against the Colorado Rockies.
That bodes well for Oswalt (3-7, 2.78 ERA), who has found himself on the wrong end of several tough-luck losses. The Astros have scored only 2.45 runs per game in his 11 starts, and they've scored two runs or fewer in six of his seven losses.
It's no wonder, then, that Oswalt recently expressed a willingness to waive his no-trade clause if the last-place Astros wanted to move him to a contender. Although no deal seems imminent, Oswalt is widely considered one of the most likely big-name players to be traded before the July 31 non-waiver trading deadline.
Oswalt had his streak of 10 consecutive quality starts to begin the season snapped Monday, when he was ejected in the third inning of a 14-4 loss to the Washington Nationals. He allowed four runs on four hits in 2 1/3 innings.
The 32-year-old right-hander has seen plenty of the Cubs over the years. He is 14-12 with a 3.67 ERA in 31 appearances (30 starts) against them. Oswalt threw seven scoreless innings to beat Chicago on April 17, allowing five hits and striking out six in a 4-3 victory.
The Astros have played better lately, winning four in a row and five of their last six, though they're still mired in last place in the NL Central. During that six-game stretch, they have hit .281 as a team, a dramatic improvement from their .230 mark through their first 49 games.
Slugging first baseman Lance Berkman's recent surge has helped - he is 9-for-18 with a homer and six RBIs during the four-game winning streak. Berkman is 2-for-4 with two homers against Silva.