Houston @ Philadelphia preview
Citizens Bank Park
Last Meeting ( Aug 23, 2010 ) Houston 3, Philadelphia 2
Brett Myers and J.A. Happ aren't the only members of the Houston Astros making their return to Citizens Bank Park.
Michael Bourn also returned to the City of Brotherly Love - but he showed the Philadelphia faithful no love on Monday.
The fourth-round pick of the Phillies in the 2003 draft, Bourn went 3-for-4 with two runs scored and two stolen bases as the Astros rallied to a 3-2 triumph.
Bourn reached base in the eighth inning following a bunt single and some creative running along the baseline. The end result of that exchange saw former Phillies Jason Michaels and Bourn on first and second, respectively, and Philadelphia manager Charlie Manuel's fifth ejection of the season.
The 27-year-old Bourn then came around to score the eventual game-winning run on Carlos Lee's two-run single.
Bourn will look for an encore on Tuesday as Houston (55-69) and Philadelphia (70-54) will meet in the second contest of their four-game series.
The loss didn't hurt the Phillies in their quest for a fourth straight NL East title. The team remained 2.5 games back of the division-leading Atlanta Braves, who dropped a 5-4 decision to the Colorado Rockies.
As for the race for the wild card, Philadelphia saw its lead shrink to one game over both the St. Louis Cardinals and San Francisco Giants, who posted lopsided victories on Monday.
Looking to help the Phillies rebound is Cole Hamels (7-10, 3.51 ERA), who hasn't picked up a win since July 11 - despite pitching well in several outings.
The 2008 World Series MVP has put together three outings of allowing one run or less in that span - including back-to-back impressive starts against the New York Mets - with little to show for it.
However, Hamels struggled in his last start as he yielded five runs and seven hits in five innings en route to a 5-2 loss to the Giants on Thursday.
Houston will counter with Bud Norris (6-7, 5.23 ERA), who has won four straight decisions.
After striking out 14 in his victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates, the 25-year-old right-hander authored a two-hit gem in a 3-2 victory over the Mets on Thursday.
Norris will need to keep a keen eye on Carlos Ruiz, who continued his recent hot streak by belting a solo homer in the third inning to tie Monday's game at 1-1.
Chase Utley promptly gave Philadelphia a 2-1 lead later in the frame as he plated Jimmy Rollins with an RBI single.
The slim edge held up until Lee's heroics in the eighth, which ultimately gave Myers the victory. The 30-year-old right-hander spent eight seasons with the Phillies and was part of the 2008 World Series championship team.