Pittsburgh @ Houston preview
Minute Maid Park
Last Meeting ( Aug 14, 2010 ) Pittsburgh 2, Houston 3
The Houston Astros won their 50th game of the season Saturday. The Pittsburgh Pirates are having trouble simply getting to No. 40.
The Astros rallied from a two-run deficit to defeat the Pirates, who are now on a seven-game losing streak. Pittsburgh will try to avoid its second consecutive sweep on Sunday, sending right-hander Jeff Karstens to the mound in the three-game series finale at Houston. The Astros will counter with left-hander J.A. Happ.
Karstens is 0-4 with a 3.10 ERA over his last five starts. In fact, despite pitching relatively well, Karstens hasn’t won since June 19.
In his last start against the San Diego Padres on Tuesday, Karstens (2-8) went six innings, allowing two runs on three hits with a walk and three strikeouts. Still, Karstens was charged with a loss in a 4-1 defeat.
Against the Cincinnati Reds on Aug. 4, Karstens went five innings, allowing three runs on nine hits in a losing effort. And, when he threw six scoreless innings against the St. Louis Cardinals on July 30, Karstens ended up with a no-decision.
Karstens has yet to face the Astros this season, but he is 1-1 with a 5.60 ERA in four career games, including three starts, against them.
Offensively, the Pirates scored two runs in the first inning on Saturday but that was it. Garrett Jones belted a two-run home run, his 17th of the season.
The Pirates finished 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position and left eight men on base.
Happ, meanwhile, will be making his fourth start with Houston since coming over from Philadelphia in the Roy Oswalt trade.
In his first three starts, Happ is 1-1 with a 5.40 ERA. Happ went 6 1/3 innings Tuesday against the Atlanta Braves, allowing one run on two hits with four walks and six strikeouts.
That was a vast improvement from his previous start, when he went only one inning and allowed seven runs on six hits against the Cardinals on Aug. 4.
Happ hasn’t faced the Pirates this year. In two lifetime starts against them, he is 1-1 with a 2.40 ERA.
Hunter Pence had a solo home run and RBI double and Angel Sanchez added an RBI single for the Astros in Saturday’s win. That was enough for Houston to overcome a 2-for-10 effort with runners in scoring position.
The Astros have already swept the Pirates this season, taking a three-game series July 6-8.