Houston @ Arizona preview
Chase Field
Last Meeting ( Sep 3, 2010 ) Houston 3, Arizona 4
The Arizona Diamondbacks received just enough offense on Friday and will look to keep the runs coming when they face off against the Houston Astros on Saturday.
Arizona chipped away at Houston’s pitchers and received a big run-scoring sacrifice fly from Augie Ojeda in the eighth inning to seal a 4-3 victory on Friday. It was Arizona’s seventh win in eight games, with the club putting up 54 runs over that stretch.
Joe Saunders (8-14, 4.64 ERA) could use some of that offensive support on Saturday.
The hurler hopes to stay on the right track after snapping a four-start slump earlier this week. Saunders held the NL West-leading San Diego Padres to two runs over eight innings as Arizona claimed a 7-2 victory.
Saunders had given up at least one home run in nine consecutive outings heading into Saturday’s game.
The big lefty came over from the Los Angeles Angels on July 25 and is desperately trying to keep from having the most losses in the majors. He is currently tied for second place with his 14 losses.
Arizona called up 37-year-old Mike Hampton on Friday and should be ready to go if called upon. Hampton signed a minor-league deal on Aug. 21 and was 1-0 with a 2.70 ERA in four appearances with Triple-A Reno.
Hampton last threw in the big leagues on Aug. 13, 2009 before stepping away for left shoulder surgery.
Meanwhile, Bud Norris (6-8, 5.17 ERA) gets the ball for the Astros.
The big righty has posted a 4-1 mark over his last seven starts, but was roughed up a bit in his last outing against the New York Mets. Norris gave up five runs over 5 2/3 innings en route to a 5-1 loss.
Before that outing, Norris had allowed only 13 runs in six starts, including a 3-2 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates in which he struck out 14 over seven innings.
Norris’ fastball can get up around 96 mph on a good day with a great slider and a decent change-up. The 6-foot, 230-pounder changes his speeds and arm angles well, getting most of his outs through flyballs.
He’ll be up against Arizona’s well-balanced attack. The Diamondbacks have five players with at least 17 home runs - with Mark Reynolds setting the pace with 32 and Adam LaRoche has 23 home runs and a team-leading 89 RBIs.
Outfielder Justin Upton continues to hit everything that comes his way. He is batting .370 over his last 12 games.