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D-backs hand Corbin ball at Houston

Aug 18, 2012 - 12:42 PM (Sports Network) - Rookie left-hander Patrick Corbin makes his first career trip to the mound in Houston tonight, when the Arizona Diamondbacks take on the Astros in the middle game of a three-game series at Minute Maid Park.

A 23-year-old from Clay, N.Y., Corbin was a second-round pick of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in 2009 before coming to the Diamondbacks organization as part of the trade that saw Joe Saunders land in Arizona and Dan Haren head to California.

He made 26 starts at Double-A in 2011 and has pitched 13 games between Double- and Triple-A this season along with debuting in the majors with a 5 2/3-inning start at Miami on April 30, which gave him a 9-5 win.

Corbin has started eight games and pitched in five others while combining to post a 3.41 earned run average and hold opposing batters to a .237 average.

He's 2-3 in eight road appearances and has never faced the Astros.

The Diamondbacks got a pitching gem from another rookie in Friday's opener, when Wade Miley tossed six effective innings in a 3-1 triumph.

Miley (13-8) gave up just one run on eight hits with no walks and five strikeouts to snap a personal two-game slide. Brad Ziegler and David Hernandez held down the fort in the seventh and eighth innings and J.J. Putz earned his 24th save of the season with a scoreless ninth inning.

"I felt pretty good, just wasn't locating the fastball early," Miley said. "But I was able to go the offspeed stuff and start throwing my slider for strikes, which helped a lot. I just needed to battle through."

Chris Young and Paul Goldschmidt smacked RBI doubles and Miley was credited with an RBI on a sacrifice bunt for the Diamondbacks, who have won three of their last five.

Dallas Keuchel (1-5) was tagged with the loss after allowing two runs on four hits with three strikeouts and a pair of walks over 6 2/3 innings. Tyler Greene knocked in the only run of the night for the Astros, who have dropped four of their last five.

Houston sends fellow youngster Jordan Lyles to the mound again in search of a first win since late June.

The North Carolina native, who'll turn 22 in October, was 2-4 on the season after a 5-3 win over San Diego on June 26 that left his ERA for the year at 4.59.

He's lost five decisions in eight luckless appearances since - all losses for the Astros - while watching the ERA swell to 5.47.

Lyles dropped an 8-2 verdict at Arizona on July 22 after giving up eight runs on 10 hits in just 5 2/3 innings.

In 10 2/3 career innings against the Diamondbacks, he's allowed a .423 batting average and has a 10.13 ERA.

The Diamondbacks swept the three-game series in Phoenix in July, outscoring the Astros, 33-13. Arizona won the 2011 season series, six games to one, and hasn't lost it since 2006.