Houston @ Milwaukee preview
American Family Field
Last Meeting ( Jul 29, 2011 ) Houston 0, Milwaukee 4
THE STORY: Houston will experience life without Hunter Pence when it plays the second of a three-game set at Milwaukee on Saturday night. The Astros, who own the worst record in baseball, pulled Pence midway through Friday's 4-0 loss after trading the All-Star to Philadelphia. The Brewers, meanwhile, are riding high after their fourth straight victory enabled them to maintain a 1 1/2-game lead in the National League Central. Randy Wolf pitched seven shutout innings for Milwaukee.
TV: 7:10 p.m. ET, Fox Sports, DISH 445 & 9515, DirecTV 678 (Houston); WMLW-41 (Milwaukee)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Astros LH J.A. Happ (4-12, 6.12) vs. Brewers RH Yovani Gallardo (11-7, 3.89).
Happ has won just once since May 14, and he has been hit particularly hard of late, allowing 33 runs (31 earned) in 30 1/3 innings over his last six starts. The lefthander has a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 15:17 in four July outings, boosting his league-leading walks total to 60. Happ is 2-0 in three career starts against the Brewers, but he hasn't fared well in road games this season, going 1-7 with an ugly 8.02 ERA. Opponents are batting a robust .315 against Happ away from Houston. Gallardo recovered nicely after being pounded at Colorado on July 14, allowing just three earned runs (five total) in 13 innings over his two most recent starts. He has been comfortable at home, where he is 7-1 with a 3.23 ERA. Astros center fielder Michael Bourn is 10-for-24 (.417) with five RBIs against Gallardo, who is 8-2 with a 3.32 ERA in 10 career starts against Houston. One of those wins came April 22 (6 IP, 8 H, 4 ER, 1 BB, 7 K).
ABOUT THE BREWERS (58-49): Milwaukee has showed signs of creeping away from the pack, thanks in large part to their dominance at home. The Brewers are 37-14 at Miller Park, easily the best home mark in the major leagues, and have won all four to start their current nine-game homestand after surviving an 11-game road trip (5-6) to open the second half. Ryan Braun, despite battling nagging injuries over the last month, is 14-for-35 (.400) with five home runs and nine RBIs over his last nine games.
ABOUT THE ASTROS (35-71): Houston lost far more than a game on Friday, shipping their lone 2011 All-Star to the Phillies in exchange for four prospects. With Pence gone from an already inconsistent lineup, more pressure falls on Carlos Lee (.277, 10 HRs, 60 RBIs) to carry the load offensively. The Astros can still build around speed — Bourn (.304) leads the major leagues with 39 stolen bases, and Jason Bourgeois has 20 steals in just 52 games.
FINAL PITCH: Houston was already 29th in the majors in home runs, but with Pence and his team-best 11 homers no longer on board, the current Astros roster has totaled just 48 in 106 games.