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Astros-Pirates Preview

May 31, 2009 - 3:58 AM By ANTHONY GIORNALISTA STATS Senior Writer

Houston (19-27) at Pittsburgh (21-27), 1:35 p.m. EDT

Once among the best in the majors, Mike Hampton hasn't been effective enough to be involved in any pitching duels this season. Matching up with Paul Maholm and the Pittsburgh Pirates may give him a chance to revisit past glory.

Hampton takes the mound for the Houston Astros on Sunday seeking his eighth straight win against the Pirates, who hope Maholm can continue his success against their NL Central rivals in the finale of a three-game set.

After going 73-41 games with a 3.35 ERA from 1996-00, Hampton (2-4, 5.63 ERA) had a rough two-year stint with Colorado followed by two decent seasons with Atlanta before various injuries sidelined him for most of the past four years.

While he may be headed to playing in his first full season since 2004, the left-hander has been unreliable. Hampton has surrendered five runs or more in four of his last five starts. On Sunday, he gave up five runs and eight hits in five innings of a 5-0 loss to Texas.

"He's not consistent in the strike zone like he needs to be," Houston manager Cecil Cooper said.

Hampton, however, was terrific against Pittsburgh (22-27) on April 15, yielding four hits while striking eight in six innings during a 4-1 victory.

He's won seven straight starts versus the Pirates, posting a 1.36 ERA during that span. Hampton is 11-3 with a 2.57 ERA in 17 starts and six relief appearances all-time against Pittsburgh.

Maholm (3-1, 4.11), meanwhile, has a 2.08 ERA in winning his last four starts at home against Houston. He's 5-3 with a 4.91 ERA in nine starts against the Astros overall.

But the left-hander is coming off a terrible outing, tying a season high with seven runs allowed while giving up seven hits and walking three during a 10-8 win over the Chicago Cubs on Monday.

Maholm gave up two runs or fewer in three of his previous four outings. He'll be facing an Astros team that has lost eight of nine, including a 7-4 defeat Saturday.

One of the few bright spots for Houston (19-28) was Miguel Tejada, who doubled twice and drove in two runs to extend his hitting streak to 13 games, raising his average 33 points to .347. The 2002 AL MVP is 13 for 25 (.520) in his last six games at Pittsburgh.

Eric Hinske was the Pirates' hitting star, with three hits and reaching base four times. Pittsburgh went 7 for 17 with runners in scoring position after scoring a combined four runs in losing its previous three contests.

"We haven't been producing runs like we should be," third baseman Andy LaRoche said. "It's great to give ... a little cushion."

Hinske is batting .400 (8 for 20) in 10 career games against Houston. He helped the Pirates win after they lost six of their previous eight.