Houston @ Chicago preview
Wrigley Field
Last Meeting ( Jul 19, 2010 ) Houston 11, Chi. Cubs 5
The Houston Astros have become one of the laughingstocks in baseball this season.
They lost their first eight games of the season, and it was hard to tell what type of team they had become. They didn’t hit for average or power. They didn’t run too well or play defense exceptionally well.
However on Monday, the Astros weren’t the ones who were on the receiving end of the laughter. Instead, Houston pounded out a season-high 17 hits and cruised to an 11-5 victory over the Chicago Cubs in a three-game series opener.
The Astros will try to ride that momentum into Tuesday’s game against the Cubs. Houston will send left-hander Wesley Wright to the mound for his first career start, while Chicago will counter with veteran right-hander Ryan Dempster.
Wright has been inserted into the starting rotation because Felipe Paulino was scratched with right shoulder tendinitis. So far this season, Wright has made six relief appearances, posting a 5.59 ERA.
In his outing on June 18 against the Texas Rangers, Wright threw two innings in relief - allowing two runs and two hits with a walk and two strikeouts.
Offensively, the Astros came to life a day after getting shut out by the Pittsburgh Pirates. Houston scored five runs in the first inning, highlighted by a two-run single from Hunter Pence and a two-run double from Carlos Lee.
Jason Castro and Chris Johnson added home runs for the Astros, too. And, more impressively, the Astros left some runs out there, as they went 4-for-10 with runners in scoring position and left 11 men on base.
The Cubs, meanwhile, had a respectable offensive showing even though they couldn’t match the Astros' output. Rookie Tyler Colvin and Aramis Ramirez belted home runs and Derrek Lee added three hits.
Chicago, however, was only 1-for-5 with runners in scoring position.
Dempster, meanwhile, has been a steady part of the Cubs rotation this season. In his last start, Dempster allowed two runs (both earned) and six hits in 6 2/3 innings against the Philadelphia Phillies.
Dempster has pitched at least six innings in 17 of his 19 starts so far this season. With five strikeouts, Dempster will reach the 1,500-mark for his career.