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Marlins-Astros Preview

Apr 21, 2010 - 5:13 AM By MATT BECKER STATS Senior Writer

Florida (8-5) at Houston (3-9), 8:05 p.m. EDT

As far as the Houston Astros are concerned, their awful start to 2010 is a distant memory.

With Lance Berkman back in the lineup, the Astros look to win their fourth straight game Wednesday night when they continue their series with the Florida Marlins.

After opening the year with eight consecutive losses - one shy of the franchise record - Houston (4-9) has regrouped.

"You play every day. You have to forget and go on," said Jason Michaels, who had a pinch-hit, two-run homer in the eighth inning of Tuesday's 7-5 win. "We just had a bad stretch there and I think guys all in all are starting to have a better game plan. Our hitters are having better at-bats."

Hunter Pence appears to be coming around with back-to-back multihit games after starting the season 5 for 41, and the Astros have plated 21 runs in their last five contests after scoring 14 during the skid.

"I feel like the team is really starting to play up to its potential and it's fun to be a part of it," said Berkman, who made his season debut Tuesday after starting the year on the disabled list while recovering from knee surgery.

The five-time All-Star made an immediate impact, doubling and driving in two on groundouts to help the Astros set a season high for runs scored.

Berkman tries to build on that performance against Josh Johnson (1-1, 4.50 ERA), against whom he is 3 for 6 with a homer and double.

Johnson looked shaky in his first two outings, yielding seven runs in 10 innings, but was sharp against Cincinnati on Thursday. The Marlins' opening-day starter allowed one run and five hits with 10 strikeouts in six innings of a 10-2 victory. It was the third double-digit strikeout game of his career.

"I just finally found that rhythm that I've been looking for," Johnson told the Marlins' official website. "I was starting to throw my fastballs down in the zone, putting them where I want to. It's just all about being out there and pitching - finding that rhythm, finding that tempo and everything."

Johnson now hopes to find his rhythm against the Astros, something that has eluded him throughout his career. The right-hander has posted a 7.36 ERA while losing all three career appearances.

With Tuesday's loss, the Marlins (8-6) have dropped the first game of each of their five series' so far, but haven't lost any of them.

Florida's Jorge Cantu continued his red-hot start with a homer and two RBIs to extend his hitting streak to 18 games. He is 6 for 16 with three home runs and six RBIs in his last four contests against Houston, and went 2 for 6 with a solo homer last season against scheduled starter Bud Norris (1-1, 3.52).

After lasting only 2 2-3 innings in an 8-0 loss to Philadelphia on April 9, Norris allowed an unearned run and four hits with a career-best nine strikeouts in 5-1 win over St. Louis on Thursday - Houston's first victory of the season.

Norris made two starts against the Marlins as a rookie in 2009, and neither went particularly well. Though he went 1-1, the right-hander yielded 10 runs and 19 hits in 10 2-3 innings.