Houston @ San Diego preview
Petco Park
Last Meeting ( Jul 2, 2010 ) Houston 0, San Diego 3
This can’t really be happening to Lance Berkman, can it? Back-to-back hitless games against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park? The place where he always rakes the ball all over the yard?
Sad, but true. Berkman is 0-for-8 in two games at the ballpark this week as the Houston Astros meet the Padres on Saturday in the third of a four-game series.
Berkman had a .381 career average and .825 slugging percentage at Petco Park entering the series, so two straight hitless games bring a cause for concern.
Berkman has struck out three times in the series and has reached base just once - on a walk. His career average at Petco has dropped to .338.
San Diego used five different pitchers in Thursday’s 10-inning game won by Houston. On Friday, Mat Latos dominated the Astros before Heath Bell finished up. Berkman went 0-for-3 against Latos and struck out in the ninth against Bell.
The Padres will hope to keep Berkman quiet again on Saturday but the quality of the starting pitcher will represent a large dropoff from Latos, an All-Star candidate.
San Diego starter Kevin Correia has struggled since going 4-1 in April. In 10 subsequent starts, Correia is 1-5.
Correia has gone five straight starts since defeating the New York Mets on May 31. To be fair, Correia was also shaky in that outing, permitting six runs in six innings.
In his last two outings, Correia has walked 11 and given up 10 hits in 10 1/3 innings. Overall, he’s 5-6 with a 5.49 earned run average.
Houston starter Bud Norris (2-5) hasn’t fared much better. He has a 6.84 ERA and opposing hitters are batting .311 against him.
Norris is making only his second start since late May after being on the disabled list with a biceps injury. He returned to action on Monday and allowed five runs – four earned – and nine hits in five innings against the Milwaukee Brewers.
Norris was roughed up by the Padres on May 7 when he gave up five runs in four innings. San Diego’s Scott Hairston and Chase Headley homered in the contest.
Hairston had a two-run single in the Padres’ win over Houston on Friday and has 10 RBIs over his last five games.
While Hairston is hot, Padres first baseman Adrian Gonzalez is on the cold side of the ledger. Gonzalez is 1-for-20 over the last five games.
San Diego right fielder Will Venable sat out Friday’s game with back stiffness. It was the third time in four games that Venable couldn’t answer the bell.
Houston’s 3-0 loss on Friday dropped the Astros to 4-38 on the season when they score three runs or less.
Left fielder Carlos Lee had two of Houston’s four hits. Lee also has fared well against Correia, going 5-for-8 (.625) against him.
Astros infielder Geoff Blum will be sidelined the rest of the series after suffering an elbow injury.