Cincinnati @ Houston preview

Last Meeting ( Jul 25, 2010 ) Cincinnati 0, Houston 4

The Cincinnati Reds are looking at a clear path to the postseason. The Houston Astros are just trying to finish the season with a .500 record.

The Reds will be looking to reduce their magic number at the expense of the Astros when the teams open up a three-game series on Friday.

Cincinnati has runaway with the National League Central over the last month, opening up a seven game lead over the St. Louis Cardinals as the club inches towards its first playoff berth since 2000.

The Reds missed an opportunity to cut their magic number down on Thursday, falling to the Arizona Diamondbacks 3-1. That combined with St. Louis’ win keeps the magic number at an even 10.

Houston was the worst team in baseball for much of the first half, beginning the season with an eight-game losing streak and finishing May with a 17-33 mark.

The Astros crawled into the All-Star break in fifth place in the NL Central with a 36-53 record and only the lowly Pittsburgh Pirates keeping them from the basement.

But the team has shown tremendous heart in the second half under first-year manager Brad Mills, going 36-23 since the break to surge all the way up to third place in the division while making an unlikely charge at a .500 record. Pitching has been the key, with Brett Myers having a strong season and J.A. Happ, who came over from the Philadelphia Phillies in the Roy Oswalt trade, emerging as a strong third starter.

The Cincinnati offense will face a tough test on Friday in Houston starter Wandy Rodriguez, who has been the best of the second half pitching heroes. The Dominican-born left-hander has been one of the best pitchers in baseball since the end of July, going 4-1 with a 1.30 ERA and a .194 batting average against in his last 10 starts to drop his ERA from 5.11 on July 19 all the way down to 3.62.

His worst start in that span was actually his last, when he allowed three runs on five hits while striking out 10 in a no-decision against the Dodgers last Saturday.

Rodriguez started this impressive run against the Reds on July 25, holding them to one hit while striking out seven in seven scoreless frames to pick up a win. It was a far cry from his first start against Cincinnati this season, when he was touched for eight runs and eight hits in 3 1/3 innings on May 28.

Cincinnati will counter with its own hot pitcher in Johnny Cueto. The right-hander has allowed one run or less in three of his last four starts, including seven scoreless innings in a no decision against Pittsburgh last weekend. Cueto has surrendered three earned runs or less in nine of his last 12 outings.

He last faced the Astros on July 24, striking out six and allowing four hits in eight scoreless frames to pick up the victory. Cueto has not always had that kind of success against Houston, owning a 1-4 record with a 4.34 ERA in eight starts against the division rivals.