Houston @ Washington preview
Nationals Park
Last Meeting ( Jun 3, 2010 ) Washington 4, Houston 6
The Houston Astros have their pitching staff to thank for a second-half surge that has brought the franchise back to respectability. Bud Norris is a big part of that equation.
Norris will be looking to keep the Astros marching toward .500 when he opens a four-game series against the Washington Nationals on Monday.
The worst team in baseball over the first two months of the season, it looked as though the franchise was about to undergo a big overhaul, leading to a few losing seasons. Houston began the transition before the trading deadline, sending franchise icons Roy Oswalt and Lance Berkman away to the Philadelphia Phillies and New York Yankees, respectively.
But instead of collapsing without their veteran stars, the Astros have surged. Behind an improving staff and an offense that has managed just enough to keep that rotation in the win column, the Astros have gone 32-18 since July 27 to go from fifth place to third in the NL Central and make a run at a .500 record.
J.A. Happ, who came over as part of the Oswalt trade, and Brett Myers, who signed a one-year deal as a free agent prior to the season, have been incredibly consistent.
Happ owns a 5-2 record with a 3.63 ERA since joing Houston while Myers is one of just six pitchers in the last 90 years to go at least six innings in each of his first 30 starts of the season.
Wandy Rodriguez has been even better, going 8-2 with a 1.93 ERA since June 24.
Myers was at it again on Sunday, tossing seven scoreless innings to lead the Astros to a 4-3 victory over the NL Central-leading Cincinnati Reds.
Norris, 25, is the youngest and most inconsistent of the bunch, though he might have the best pure stuff. The right-hander has allowed two runs or less in six of his last 10 starts and has dominated in his past two, surrendering a total of two earned runs and six hits in 13 1/3 innings to earn back-to-back wins. He struck out seven in each of those outings.
Norris has had a problem controling his nasty arsenal at times, issuing 63 walks while allowing 17 homers in 136 1/3 innings this season.
The Nationals will send veteran Livan Hernandez to the mound on Monday. The Cuban right-hander ended a stretch of poor starts with eight scoreless innings against the Atlanta Braves last week in which he allowed only five hits while striking out six.
Hernandez has made 16 starts against the Astros in his career, posting a 10-5 record with a 4.23 ERA.
Washington was swept by the Philadelphia Phillies over the weekend, allowing four runs in the bottom of the ninth inning on Sunday to drop an improbable 7-6 decision.