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Astros-Giants Preview

May 16, 2010 - 1:54 AM By MATT BECKER STATS Senior Writer

Houston (13-22) at San Francisco (19-15), 4:05 p.m. EDT

The San Francisco Giants have completely shut down the Houston Astros this season.

Barry Zito, who has already contributed to the Astros' misery, looks bounce back from his first loss of the year and lead the Giants to their second three-game sweep of Houston in Sunday's series finale at AT&T Park.

San Francisco (20-15) opened the year with three straight wins in Houston, outscoring the Astros 18-6. It's been a similar story this weekend in California, with the Giants limiting Houston to three total runs while winning the first two games. San Francisco hasn't swept two series from the Astros (13-23) in a single season since 2000.

In San Francisco's 2-1 win Saturday, the Astros managed four hits in eight innings off Tim Lincecum, who beat them for the second time this season.

Zito (5-1, 1.90 ERA) will seek to do the same. The 2002 AL Cy Young winner made his season debut against the Astros on April 6, and gave up three hits and a walk in six innings of a 3-0 victory - an outing that set the tone for the first 5-0 start of his career.

Zito suffered his first loss Tuesday against San Diego. The left-hander lasted a season-low five innings, allowing three runs, six hits and matching a career high with seven walks in a 3-2 loss.

Now, he'll try for better luck against a Houston team that is batting .194 through the first five meetings of the season series.

Hunter Pence and Carlos Lee are emblematic of that poor showing. Pence is 3 for 20 with a solo homer against the Giants while Lee, who was ejected in the sixth inning Saturday for arguing a called third strike, is 2 for 18.

"Every at-bat counts," Lee told the Astros' official website. "We're fighting and trying hard and doing everything we can, but it's hard when they take the bat away from your hands."

While the Astros have had no answers for San Francisco's pitching, the Giants had little luck Saturday against Houston ace Roy Oswalt. Juan Uribe had three of the club's seven hits, including a two-run homer in the fourth inning.

The Giants were playing without Pablo Sandoval after he was hit on the left foot by a pitch from Jeff Fulchino in the eighth inning Friday. The third baseman, who is hoping to play Sunday, is 18 for 36 with two homers and 10 RBIs in his last nine games against Houston, which will send Brett Myers (2-2, 3.52) to the hill.

Since April 20, the Astros are 4-1 in Myers' starts and 6-13 in all other games.

The right-hander has given up exactly two runs in three of his last four outings, including a 6-3 victory at St. Louis on Tuesday in which he scattered eight hits over six innings.

Myers made his season debut against San Francisco on April 7, giving up four runs and 12 hits in six innings but not receiving a decision in Houston's 10-4 loss. He is 1-3 with a 7.20 ERA in six starts versus the Giants.