Pittsburgh @ Houston preview

Last Meeting ( Jul 15, 2011 ) Pittsburgh 4, Houston 0

THE STORY: The Pittsburgh Pirates are tied first place, and no, that is not a misprint. Thanks to some outstanding pitching, the Pirates are in first place this late in a season for the first time since Bill Clinton’s first term as president. Paul Maholm will try to keep them there by continuing his success against the host Houston Astros on Saturday. The Pirates moved five games above .500 for the first time since 1992, thanks to a five-hitter from Jeff Karstens on Friday. Meanwhile, the Astros, losers of five straight, are languishing in the National League Central cellar – a place usually reserved for Pittsburgh.

TV: 7:05 pm. ET, Fox Sports Houston, ROOT Sports

PITCHING MATCHUP: Astros RH Bud Norris (5-6, 3.46 ERA) vs. Pirates LH Paul Maholm (6-9, 2.96).

Norris is coming off his first win in five starts, but he could be a little rusty due to a nine-day layoff. He took the hill the last time the Astros were mired in a five-game skid and threw seven strong innings in an 8-2 win over Pittsburgh on July 6. The righthander is 1-2 with a 2.57 ERA in three starts vs. the Pirates this season. He has 21 strikeouts and just six walks in 21 innings against Pittsburgh in that span. All-Star Andrew McCutchen is 4-for-10 against him this season and 7-for-22 with four RBIs overall.

Maholm has won his last two starts, posting a 1.36 ERA in that span. The lefthander could continue his strong stretch against the Astros, who he has beaten more times (11-6, 3.22 ERA in 19 appearances) than any other team he’s faced. He limited Houston to one earned run and five hits in six innings of a 5-3 victory on July 4. Maholm improved to 6-2 with a 1.98 ERA in his last nine starts against Houston. All-Star Hunter Pence (14 for 14, two homers, nine RBIs) has been a tough out for him, though.

ABOUT THE ASTROS (30-63): Houston, which has the worst record in baseball, was shut out for the fifth time on Friday. The Astros are now on the verge of losing six straight for the first time since an eight-game skid from April 27-May 4, 2010. Houston has managed just eight runs during the losing streak. Manager Brad Mills attempted to shake up the lineup Friday by moving Carlos Lee out of the cleanup spot for just the second time this season and replacing him with Pence, but it didn’t pan out. The Astros have lost four straight at home and eight of 10 to Pittsburgh this season.

ABOUT THE PIRATES (48-43): The Pirates’ win Friday, combined with losses by St. Louis and Milwaukee helped them move into a tie for first place in the NL Central. This is the latest the Pirates have been in first place since 1997. They are also five games above .500 for the first time since the end of the 1992 season (96-66). McCutchen (10 RBIs in his last five games) has been leading the way offensively, while the pitching staff (3.40 ERA) has been lights out all season. Jeff Karstens needed just 83 pitches to throw his second-career shutout on Friday. Pittsburgh's pitchers have been especially good against Houston, posting a 2.30 ERA (23 ER/90 IN) in 10 games against the Astros this season.

FINAL PITCH: The Pirates are tied with Philadelphia for the NL’s best batting average this month (.286).