Pittsburgh @ Houston preview
Minute Maid Park
Last Meeting ( Jul 18, 2010 ) Houston 0, Pittsburgh 9
The New York Yankees won their 40th game of the season exactly two months ago on June 13. The Texas Rangers reached the 40-win mark on June 19.
The Pittsburgh Pirates are still searching for win No. 40, but they might be in luck this weekend. The Pirates, sitting 26 games back in the National League Central, take on another struggling division team in the Houston Astros in a three-game series beginning Friday night.
The Pirates will send right-hander Ross Ohlendorf to the mound while the Astros will counter with right-hander Brett Myers.
Ohlendorf has not won since July 2, which is his only victory of the season. But Ohlendorf has had some decent outings since then. In his last start against the Rockies on Saturday, he went six innings, allowing two runs (one earned) on four hits with a walk and six strikeouts. Pittsburgh eventually lost that game 8-7.
Lifetime against the Astros, Ohlendorf is 0-6 with a 7.32 ERA in nine games, including seven starts. He has faced Houston twice this year, compiling an 0-1 record and 6.48 ERA over 8 1/3 innings.
Offensively, the Pirates were shut out by the San Diego Padres on Thursday. In fact, their offense is a major part of their current four-game losing streak. Pittsburgh has scored 10 runs total over its past four games.
On Thursday, Padres pitcher Jon Garland held them in check over six innings. The Pirates managed only four hits all game and went 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position.
The lone bright spot for Pittsburgh was Ryan Doumit’s two-hit game.
Although the Pirates are having bad season, the Astros aren’t doing too much better. Houston sits 16 ½ games out of the NL Central lead and has lost six of its last seven games.
The latest setback came against the Braves on Wednesday, as the Astros forced extra innings only to give up six runs in the 10th.
Regardless, Hunter Pence had a solid game offensively, driving in a run in the fourth and scoring the game-tying run in the ninth. Chris Johnson brought in Pence in the ninth with a sacrifice fly.
Myers, meanwhile, has pitched well of late, winning three of his last four starts. He took the loss in his last start against the Brewers on Saturday, allowing four runs on seven hits with a walk and two strikeouts over six innings.
Against the Pirates, Myers is 5-4 with a 2.64 ERA in 10 career games, including nine starts.