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Nationals-Astros Preview

Jul 12, 2009 - 3:57 AM By BRETT HUSTON STATS Writer

Washington (25-60) at Houston (43-43), 2:05 p.m. EDT

The Houston Astros have only a .500 record at home, but they've turned their play at Minute Maid Park around over the past six weeks to crawl into contention in the NL Central.

Consecutive home losses to the Washington Nationals, though, wouldn't be a very good way for the Astros to go into the All-Star break.

The Astros try to avoid that fate Sunday afternoon as they look to bounce back from an ugly loss and win for the sixth time in their last seven home series.

Houston (43-44) began June nine games under .500 and in last place in the Central, but since then has been the best team in the division by far. The Astros' 23-15 record since June 1 has only moved them from sixth to fourth in the standings, but they're just four games behind first-place St. Louis.

The Astros are 14-8 in Houston during that stretch, pushing their home mark to 23-23.

Houston totaled 15 runs in victories over Washington (26-60) on Thursday and Friday, but it was the Nationals who broke out offensively Saturday.

Nick Johnson, Josh Willingham and Adam Dunn hit consecutive homers in the sixth inning for Washington, which had 10 extra-base hits and rolled to a 13-2 victory. Manager Manny Acta's team posted its highest run total of the season.

"Hey, we won and that was a lot of fun," said Dunn, hitting .321 with 13 homers and 32 RBIs on the road. "Lot of hits, lot of runs. Next?"

It was the first time that the franchise hit three homers in a row since the Montreal Expos did it Aug. 23, 1997. The Astros hadn't allowed three consecutive homers since Sept. 29, 2001.

"Tough night at the ballyard," Cooper said. "We got a lot of pitches up and they didn't miss many."

Nationals rookie Craig Stammen threw a complete game Saturday, and Washington hopes for a similar effort from another first-year pitcher Sunday. Jordan Zimmerman (3-3, 4.52 ERA) has kept his team in games over his past six starts, posting a 2.41 ERA, but is 1-1 in that span.

Zimmerman's control abandoned him Tuesday at Colorado, leading to an early exit. The right-hander walked four in four innings, giving up four runs - two earned - and seven hits before leaving without a decision in a 5-4 loss.

Zimmerman, who has never faced the Astros, is 1-1 with a 5.30 ERA in seven road starts.

Brian Moehler (5-5, 5.52) will get the ball for Houston. The veteran is 3-1 with a 3.38 ERA in his last five starts after going 2-4 with a 6.95 ERA in his first nine.

All of Moehler's victories, however, have come on the road, where he is 5-1 with a 4.12 ERA. The right-hander is 0-4 with a 7.15 ERA at home, where he gave up four runs and three hits in 6 1-3 innings of a 6-3 loss to Pittsburgh on Tuesday.

Moehler allowed two runs over five innings at Nationals Park on May 4, failing to get a decision in a 9-4 loss.

All-Star Ryan Zimmerman went 4 for 4 in that game. The third baseman, 6 for 9 in his career versus Moehler, has missed the past two games to attend his grandmother's funeral but is expected to return Sunday.

Zimmerman is a .373 (19 for 51) hitter with three homers and 12 RBIs in Houston.