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Rockies-Astros Preview

Jun 1, 2009 - 12:49 AM By MATT BEARDMORE STATS Writer

Colorado (20-28) at Houston (19-28), 8:05 p.m. EDT

Roy Oswalt has dominated Colorado during his career, but considering his struggles this season, that might not be an indication for continued success against the Rockies.

Oswalt takes the mound Monday night at Minute Maid Park where the Houston Astros open a four-game set versus Colorado.

In his last start, Oswalt (1-2, 4.62 ERA) yielded four runs and seven hits over six innings in Tuesday's 6-4 loss to Cincinnati. He walked in the tying run in the sixth inning after a grounder from Joey Votto deflected off his index and middle fingers in the fifth.

"I came back out there and couldn't really squeeze the ball well," Oswalt said.

Houston manager Cecil Cooper seemed more concerned about his team's sixth straight loss than any potential injury to his ace's pitching hand.

"He was just missing the zone," Cooper told the Astros' official Web site. "You'll have to ask him. Maybe it was his hand from the inning before. I'm not sure.

"With your ace on the mound, you figure if you don't have it, you have a pretty good chance of getting it. We let two leads slip away there. We just need him to step up and be who he's supposed to be."

Houston (20-28) has lost Oswalt's last three starts.

Oswalt, though, is 6-1 with a 1.84 ERA in nine career starts against Colorado.

The Astros will try to snap a four-game home losing streak after Sunday's 2-1 win at Pittsburgh. Miguel Tejada went 2 for 4, including a game-winning bloop single in the seventh. He is batting .439 (25 for 57) with three homers and nine RBIs during his 14-game hitting streak.

"I don't really look for any hitting streak. What I look for is a winning streak," Tejada said prior to Sunday's game.

Lance Berkman would probably like both the way he's struggling. Dropped from the No. 3 position in the lineup for the first time this season, he went 0 for 3 from the fifth spot as his batting average dipped to .230. Berkman, however, had five hits in 12 at-bats as the Astros took two of three at Coors Field from May 12-14.

Colorado (20-29) opens an 11-game trip after missing an opportunity for its first sweep of the season. The Rockies lost 5-2 to San Diego on Sunday to fall to 2-1 since manager Clint Hurdle was fired Friday.

"We haven't swept a series this year and that would have been nice to do," first baseman Todd Helton said.

Brad Hawpe improved his average to .348 with two hits Sunday. He went 6 for 10 with a homer and eight RBIs against the Astros last month.

Aaron Cook (3-2, 4.82) is looking to rebound from a 7-1 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers on Tuesday when he allowed five runs and eight hits in six innings. He gave up consecutive walks in the fifth as the Dodgers tacked on three runs.

The right-hander is 4-0 with a 3.05 ERA in seven career starts versus the Astros.

Houston second baseman Edwin Maysonet went 2 for 4 in Sunday's win. He is batting .450 with a homer and five RBIs since being called up from Triple-A Round Rock on May 22.

Colorado won two of three visiting the Astros last season. It was the first time the Rockies won a series in Houston since April 28-30, 1995, at The Astrodome.