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Astros-Dodgers Preview

Jul 15, 2009 - 4:07 PM By DAN PIERINGER STATS Writer

Houston (44-44) at Los Angeles (56-32), 10:10 p.m. EDT

Manny Ramirez got mixed reactions from fans in San Diego, New York and Milwaukee following his return from a 50-game suspension for violating baseball's drug policy.

There's little doubt he'll be received warmly in his first home game since his banishment.

Ramirez will play his first game at Dodger Stadium in 10 weeks as the major league-best Dodgers start the second half of the season by hosting the Houston Astros on Thursday night.

Ramirez was suspended May 7 after testing positive for a banned substance. He returned for the opener of a nine-game road trip July 3 in San Diego, getting cheered loudly by Dodgers fans and booed heavily by Padres fans. The jeers outweighed the applause as Los Angeles continued the trip against the Mets and Brewers.

Dodgers manager Joe Torre said he didn't think the negative attention bothered Ramirez, but the 12-time All-Star has to be looking forward to the reception he'll get in Los Angeles. Acquired at the trade deadline last season, Ramirez led the Dodgers to the NLCS last fall and after signing a two-year, $45 million contract in the offseason, helped them set a modern major league record with a 13-0 start at home before his suspension.

Besides reopening Mannywood - a section of seats in left field named in honor of the team's left fielder - the team isn't planning anything special for Ramirez, partially because it feels the reception from the crowd at Dodger Stadium will be enough.

"We're keeping the focus on the team of which Manny is an integral part," said Charles Steinberg, the team's executive vice president. "We welcome him back with open arms, but we aren't glorifying his return. The magic of the return is the embrace from the fans that will see him again."

The Dodgers' home winning streak ended in their first game without Ramirez, but Los Angeles (56-32) went 29-21 during his absence to maintain a commanding lead in the NL West, seven games ahead of second-place San Francisco.

Torre admits he didn't expect the team to have such consistent success throughout the first half.

"I think record wise, I'm probably surprised we are where we are, but when you watch the way these guys have played day in and day out, at times they look flat and then about the sixth inning, something happens and they're in there," he said.

"Teams have come back on us a number of times and we respond real well to that. Just the personality of this club has really been a positive for us."

The Dodgers lost two of three road games against the Astros from April 21-23, the teams' only previous meetings this year. Houston swept three games at Dodger Stadium in 2008.

The Astros (44-44) were 10 games under .500 on May 27, but a 5-0 win over Washington on Sunday lifted their record to .500 entering the All-Star break.

Wandy Rodriguez (8-6, 2.96 ERA) has been a huge part of Houston's turnaround. The left-hander went 3-0 with a 1.86 ERA over his last four starts of the first half, all Astros wins. He capped the best half of his five-year career with his second career shutout, holding Pittsburgh to five hits and matching a personal best with 11 strikeouts in a 5-0 victory last Wednesday.

"When Wandy can throw strike one with his fastball, he could be a dominating kind of pitcher," manager Cecil Cooper said. "He's got that kind of stuff."

Rodriguez is 2-2 with a 3.23 ERA in six career games - five starts - against the Dodgers. He held them to one run and five hits in six innings April 23, but suffered a 2-0 defeat.

Ramirez - batting .379 (11 for 29) with three home runs, nine RBIs and eight runs scored in nine games since his return - is 2 for 3 with a strikeout against Rodriguez.

Like Rodriguez, Dodgers starter Randy Wolf (4-3, 3.45) finished the first half strong. The left-hander posted a 2.45 ERA over his last three starts before the All-Star game, including an 11-2 road win over the New York Mets last Thursday in which he gave up two runs in 6 1-3 innings.

Wolf is 4-4 with a 3.89 ERA lifetime against Houston, which ranks third in the majors with a .293 batting average against lefties. Los Angeles is one spot behind at .289.