Final
Astros-Pirates Preview
Jul 17, 2010 - 3:45 AMVideo
Houston (36-53) at Pittsburgh (30-58), 7:05 p.m. EDT
The Houston Astros insist that Carlos Lee shake off some rust before returning to the lineup. Against Ross Ohlendorf and the Pittsburgh Pirates, he may not need much time to get back on track.
With Lee likely to be back, the Astros look to remain unbeaten against Ohlendorf and win their eighth straight against the Pirates on Saturday night.
Houston (37-53) held Lee out of the lineup as it opened this three-game set with a 5-2 win Friday night. Lee missed the team workout the previous day, and manager Brad Mills feels it is necessary for the veteran slugger to participate in baseball exercises before he plays his first game following the All-Star break.
Lee, the Astros' cleanup hitter, leads the team with 45 RBIs and has 12 home runs. He is batting .382 with five homers and 20 RBIs in his last 14 games versus the Pirates.
Even without Lee, Houston improved to 7-0 against Pittsburgh (30-59) this season. The Astros have outscored the Pirates 38-15 in that stretch.
Houston is coming off its first game with former star Jeff Bagwell as its hitting coach, scoring five runs or more for just the third time in its last 10 games. Second baseman Jeff Keppinger, 7 for 13 over his past three games, drove in three runs, including one with a groundout in the first inning.
"Those are the things we've got to do, get the big hits with two outs, and we've got to be able to move runners around," Keppinger said.
Now Houston looks to take advantage of another matchup with Ohlendorf (1-7, 4.22 ERA), who has lost all six of his starts against the Astros, posting a 6.68 ERA.
Though he pitched well enough to win, Ohlendorf lost to Houston in his last outing. The right-hander gave up two runs in seven innings of a 2-0 road loss July 8.
Ohlendorf has delivered three straight strong outings, going 1-1 with a 0.90 ERA.
Houston will counter with Bud Norris (2-6, 5.97), who struggled in his last start, giving up five runs in 7 2-3 innings of an 8-0 loss to St. Louis on July 9. He has surrendered at least five runs in seven of his last nine outings.
The right-hander won his only previous start against the Pirates, allowing one run and striking out seven in six innings of a 9-1 victory Sept. 11. He seems to have an excellent opportunity for another strong performance versus Pittsburgh, which is last in the majors in runs with 286.
The Pirates are hitting .209 against the Astros this season.
Pirates leadoff hitter Andrew McCutchen was batting .210 in 15 games against Houston before opening this series with a 2-for-4 performance. McCutchen hit .143 (4 for 28) in his previous eight games overall.
Garrett Jones, meanwhile, continues to struggle. The lefty first baseman, who leads Pittsburgh with 11 homers and a career-best 52 RBIs, is 2 for 21 (.095) over his last five contests.
- Pirates 12, Astros 6 - FINAL
HOUSTON ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
M Bourn cf 5 0 1 2 0 0 0 .252
J Keppinger 2b 4 0 0 0 0 1 2 .283
L Berkman 1b 1 1 0 0 3 0 0 .250
C Lee lf 4 0 0 0 0 1 5 .237
H Pence rf 4 2 2 1 0 1 0 .270
C Johnson 3b 3 1 1 2 0 1 0 .282
J Castr
Jul 17 10:25 PM - NL
AT PITTSBURGH - SCORING UPDATE
SINGLE BY ERIK KRATZ SCORED GARRETT JONES
SITUATION: 3 RUNS IN, E KRATZ ON FIRST, P ALVAREZ ON THIRD, 2 OUTS
CURRENT SCORE: HOUSTON 6
PITTSBURGH 12 BOTTOM,8TH
DUE UP FOR PITTSBURGH: R CEDENO (.232, 2-FOR-3, BB, RBI)
Astros 6, Pirates 12 Bot 8, 0 OutsJul 17 10:15 PM - NL
AT PITTSBURGH - SCORING UPDATE
SINGLE BY PEDRO ALVAREZ SCORED NEIL WALKER
SITUATION: 2 RUNS IN, P ALVAREZ ON FIRST, G JONES ON SECOND, 1 OUT
CURRENT SCORE: HOUSTON 6
PITTSBURGH 11 BOTTOM,8TH
DUE UP FOR PITTSBURGH: L MILLEDGE (.280, 2-FOR-4, 2 RBI)
Astros 6, Pirates 11 Bot 8, 0 OutsJul 17 10:10 PM - NL
AT PITTSBURGH - SCORING UPDATE
DOUBLE BY NEIL WALKER SCORED ANDREW MCCUTCHEN
SITUATION: 1 RUN IN, N WALKER ON SECOND, 1 OUT
CURRENT SCORE: HOUSTON 6
PITTSBURGH 10 BOTTOM,8TH
DUE UP FOR PITTSBURGH: G JONES (.269, 1-FOR-4, RBI)
Astros 6, Pirates 10 Bot 8, 0 OutsJul 17 10:05 PM - NL
AT PITTSBURGH - SCORING UPDATE
WILD PITCH BY GUSTAVO CHACIN ALLOWED NEIL WALKER TO SCORE.
SITUATION: 2 RUNS IN, NONE ON, 0 OUTS
CURRENT SCORE: HOUSTON 6
PITTSBURGH 9 BOTTOM,6TH
DUE UP FOR PITTSBURGH: G JONES (.269, 1-FOR-3, RBI)
Astros 6, Pirates 9 Bot 6, 0 OutsJul 17 9:33 PM - NL
AT PITTSBURGH - SCORING UPDATE
SINGLE BY NEIL WALKER SCORED JOSE TABATA
SITUATION: 1 RUN IN, N WALKER ON FIRST, 0 OUTS
CURRENT SCORE: HOUSTON 6
PITTSBURGH 8 BOTTOM,6TH
DUE UP FOR PITTSBURGH: G JONES (.269, 1-FOR-3, RBI)
Astros 6, Pirates 8 Bot 6, 0 OutsJul 17 9:31 PM - NL
AT PITTSBURGH - SCORING UPDATE
SINGLE BY RYAN CHURCH SCORED ERIK KRATZ
SITUATION: 2 RUNS IN, R CHURCH ON FIRST, R CEDENO ON THIRD, 2 OUTS
CURRENT SCORE: HOUSTON 6
PITTSBURGH 7 BOTTOM,5TH
DUE UP FOR PITTSBURGH: A MCCUTCHEN (.288, 0-FOR-2, BB)
Astros 6, Pirates 7 Bot 5, 0 OutsJul 17 9:14 PM - NL
AT PITTSBURGH - SCORING UPDATE
SINGLE BY RONNY CEDENO SCORED LASTINGS MILLEDGE
SITUATION: 1 RUN IN, R CEDENO ON FIRST, E KRATZ ON SECOND, 2 OUTS
CURRENT SCORE: HOUSTON 6
PITTSBURGH 6 BOTTOM,5TH
DUE UP FOR PITTSBURGH: J LOPEZ (.000, 0 HR, 0 RBI)
Astros 6, Pirates 6 Bot 5, 0 OutsJul 17 9:07 PM - NL
AT PITTSBURGH - SCORING UPDATE
DOUBLE BY CHRIS JOHNSON SCORED HUNTER PENCE AND LANCE
BERKMAN
SITUATION: 2 RUNS IN, C JOHNSON ON SECOND, 2 OUTS
CURRENT SCORE: HOUSTON 6
PITTSBURGH 5 TOP,5TH
DUE UP FOR HOUSTON: J CASTRO (.184, 1-FOR-2)
Astros 6, Pirates 5 Top 5, 0 OutsJul 17 8:53 PM - NL
AT PITTSBURGH - SCORING UPDATE
DOUBLE BY JOSE TABATA SCORED ANDREW MCCUTCHEN AND RONNY
CEDENO
SITUATION: 2 RUNS IN, J TABATA ON SECOND, 1 OUT
CURRENT SCORE: HOUSTON 4
PITTSBURGH 5 BOTTOM,2ND
DUE UP FOR PITTSBURGH: N WALKER (.274, 1-FOR-1)
Astros 4, Pirates 5 Bot 2, 0 OutsJul 17 8:04 PM - NL
AT PITTSBURGH - SCORING UPDATE
DOUBLE BY MICHAEL BOURN SCORED ANGEL SANCHEZ AND JASON
CASTRO
SITUATION: 4 RUNS IN, M BOURN ON SECOND, B NORRIS ON THIRD, 0 OUTS
CURRENT SCORE: HOUSTON 4
PITTSBURGH 3 TOP,2ND
DUE UP FOR HOUSTON: J KEPPINGER (.286, 0-FOR-1)
Astros 4, Pirates 3 Top 2, 0 OutsJul 17 7:41 PM - NL
AT PITTSBURGH - SCORING UPDATE
DOUBLE BY ANGEL SANCHEZ SCORED CHRIS JOHNSON
SITUATION: 2 RUNS IN, A SANCHEZ ON SECOND, J CASTRO ON THIRD, 0 OUTS
CURRENT SCORE: HOUSTON 2
PITTSBURGH 3 TOP,2ND
DUE UP FOR HOUSTON: B NORRIS (.056, 0 HR, 1 RBI)
Astros 2, Pirates 3 Top 2, 0 OutsJul 17 7:36 PM - NL
AT PITTSBURGH - SCORING UPDATE
SOLO HOME RUN BY HUNTER PENCE (13) TO LEFT CENTER WITH 0 OUT
IN THE 2ND OFF ROSS OHLENDORF.
CURRENT SCORE: HOUSTON 1, PITTSBURGH 3
DUE UP FOR HOUSTON: C JOHNSON (.280, 0 HR, 8 RBI)
Astros 1, Pirates 3 Top 2, 0 OutsJul 17 7:29 PM - NL
AT PITTSBURGH - SCORING UPDATE
SINGLE BY LASTINGS MILLEDGE SCORED GARRETT JONES AND NEIL
WALKER
SITUATION: 3 RUNS IN, L MILLEDGE ON FIRST, 2 OUTS
CURRENT SCORE: HOUSTON 0
PITTSBURGH 3 BOTTOM,1ST
DUE UP FOR PITTSBURGH: E KRATZ (-, 0 HR, 0 RBI)
Astros 0, Pirates 3 Bot 1, 0 OutsJul 17 7:25 PM - NL
AT PITTSBURGH - SCORING UPDATE
DOUBLE BY GARRETT JONES SCORED JOSE TABATA
SITUATION: 1 RUN IN, G JONES ON SECOND, N WALKER ON THIRD, 1 OUT
CURRENT SCORE: HOUSTON 0
PITTSBURGH 1 BOTTOM,1ST
DUE UP FOR PITTSBURGH: P ALVAREZ (.216, 3 HR, 11 RBI)
Astros 0, Pirates 1 Bot 1, 0 OutsJul 17 7:20 PM
Related News
- Astros Crawfish Boil: December 26, 2023 Dec 26
- Everystros LV Dec 24
- Pirates Top Games of 2023: No. 6 - Drew Maggi gets his moment Dec 23
- Astros Crawfish Boil: December 23, 2023 Dec 23
- The Pirates got it right with Andrew McCutchen Dec 22
- Astros Minor League Position Review: Third Base Dec 22
- Astros Crawfish Boil: December 22, 2023 Dec 22
- Bucs Arghticles: Pirates’ Andrew McCutchen makes comments after signing Dec 22
- Pirates targeting first baseman in upcoming MLB Draft Dec 22
- Astros Crawfish Boil: December 21, 2023 Dec 21
- Bucs Arghticles: Pirates sign Ryan Mattson Dec 21
- Top Candidates to Enter Astros Top 10 Prospects in 2024 Dec 20