Milwaukee @ Houston preview

Last Meeting ( Jun 30, 2010 ) Houston 5, Milwaukee 1

The good news for the Milwaukee Brewers is that Corey Hart is ready to return to the lineup. The better news is that Hart and the rest of the team will not have to contend with Roy Oswalt this weekend.

The Brewers look to halt a two-game losing streak Friday when they face the Houston Astros and the newly acquired J.A. Happ in the opener of their three-game series at Minute Maid Park.

Oswalt, who tossed eight scoreless innings en route to a victory at Milwaukee on May 26, was slated to start Friday with the chance to tie Joe Niekro (144) for first place on the franchise list in wins. But the ace right-hander was dealt to Philadelphia on Thursday, just two days before the non-waiver trade deadline.

In return for Oswalt, the Astros received a pair of prosects and Happ, who was scheduled to start for the Phillies against Washington on Friday. Instead, the 27-year old will make his debut for Houston.

Happ (1-0) will be making just his fourth start of the season. The runner-up for the National League Rookie of the Year Award last year, Happ pitched 10 1/3 scoreless innings over two starts for Philadelphia in April before being shelved for over three months with a strained left elbow.

Happ made his return against Colorado on Sunday, allowing three runs and four hits in five innings and settling for a no-decision in the 4-3 Philadelphia triumph.

Happ has pitched at Minute Maid Park just once before, scattering six hits over five innings on April 9 as Philadelphia rolled to an 8-0 victory. In two previous career appearances against Milwaukee, including one in relief, he is 1-0 with a 6.14 ERA.

Prince Fielder has fared well against Happ, going 2-for-4 with two doubles and three RBIs. With one hit in three career at-bats against Happ, Hart will get the chance to improve those numbers as he returns to the lineup following a five-game absence due to a wrist injury suffered last Friday, when he crashed into the wall while chasing a foul ball against Washington.

The Astros, who have won two in a row and three of four, will face the struggling Manny Parra (3-7).

In his last three outings, Parra is 0-2 with an 8.82 ERA. He did pitch well in his last start, however, yielding just two runs and four hits over six frames but settling for a no-decision in the Brewers' 4-3 win over the Nationals on Saturday.

Parra is 2-4 with a 6.00 ERA in 11 starts this year and owns a 2-3 record and 6.32 ERA in 15 games – including 10 relief appearances – on the road.

Over his career, Parra is 4-3 with a 5.18 ERA in eight starts against Houston. The left-hander has gone 2-2 with a 6.41 ERA in four career outings at Minute Maid Park.

Carlos Lee, who posted his first two-homer game of the year in the Astros' 8-1 triumph over the Chicago Cubs on Wednesday, is hitting .529 (9-for-17) with a home run and three RBIs against Parra. Michael Bourn is 5-for-14 (.357) with a pair of solo blasts against the 27-year old, while Pedro Feliz has collected five hits, a homer and two RBIs in 10 career at-bats.

Milwaukee, which won five straight contests before dropping its last two, surrendered five runs in both the sixth and eighth innings Wednesday and suffered a 10-2 loss to Cincinnati.

The Astros are 3-3 on their nine-game homestand. Third baseman Chris Johnson enters tonight's game with a 12-game hitting streak, the longest by a Houston rookie since Julio Lugo's 14-game run in 2000.