By Craig Elliott
The Astros just took three of four from the Pirates, including a 13-1 laugher on Sunday that helped Jason Hirsh to his second win. Houston is 3.5 games behind Cincinnati now, with a little more than a month left to play. Most of the National League is still in the wildcard chase too.
Now we get to see the Big Three of the rotation pitching at home, in the playoff chase. And speaking of playoff chase, it’s time to knock Milwaukee out of it. The Brewers just got swept in a four-game series with the Fish, so the road trip isn’t going well for them. Milwaukee is a game behind Houston in the wildcard race, and five games behind Cincinnati.
When:
Tuesday, August 29, 7:05 p.m. CDT – FSN
Wednesday, August 30, 7:05 p.m. CDT – FSN
Thursday, August 31, 7:05 p.m. CDT – FSN
MLB Extra Innings – All three games will be on the Fox Southwest broadcast. After that long-ass road trip, it’s about time for some Yvette.
Where: MMPUS
Tuesday’s giveaway is the Clemens road T-shirt, so get there early. And on Wednesday they’re giving away the scratch tickets, where you could win things like a pinch on the ass from Milo, or your own chance to strike out Morgan Ensberg on three pitches. Also, watch for the upcoming MoBerg Night, when NASA rocketry scientists will be on hand to re-enact moonshots from third base to first.
Projected Matchups
Tomo Ohka (4-3, 4.42) v. Roy Oswalt (10-8, 3.23)
In his last start, Ohka batted left-handed for the first time in his career. Brewer teammates had noticed in batting practice that he could rake from the left side. So Ohka tried it against the Rukakkies and splattered them with four juicy RBI. The first hit was just a dribbler, but the second was a hard blast right up the middle. He got the win, but the Rukakkies chased him from the game before he could wipe his dick on the curtains.
Ohka is 1-3 against Houston overall, but in two appearances this year he’s gone 12 innings and allowed only six hits and one earned run. Current Astros are only 30-for-116 (.259) against Ohka, with one homer from Jason Lane. Ausmus is 3-for-8 with two doubles against him, and Taveras is 4-for-11. Luke Scott is 3-for-5.
Oswalt is 10-6 against the Brewers and 1-0 this year. Milwaukee batters are 47-for-187 (.251) with 10 walks and 35 strikeouts against Roy. Bill Hall is 10-for-26 (.385) with three doubles, and Geoff Jenkins is 11-for-37 (.297) with two doubles, two homers, and 13 strikeouts. Gabe Gross and Laynce Nix also have homers off Roy.
Dave Bush (9-10, 4.89) v. Roger Clemens (6-4, 2.50)
Bush’s last win came against Houston on Aug. 19. He went seven innings and gave up eight hits and four earned runs. Current Astros are 20-for-58 (.345) against Bush, with four doubles and two homers. Aubrey Huff is only 4-for-17 against him but has a homer, while Ensberg is 1-for-3 with a homer. Berkman is 4-for-6 with a double, and Taveras is 3-for-6.
Apparently there’s some confusion about whether Clemens or Wandy will make this start. The Astros’ website says Roger, so that’s what I’ll go with. Current Brewers only bat .229 against Clemens, going 36-for-157. Four Brewers have homers against Roger, but three of them are hurt. Corey Hart is 2-for-3 with a homer off Roger, while Tony Graffanino is 2-for-5. Geoff Jenkins is 1-for-14 against Clemens with five strikeouts.
Doug Davis (9-8, 5.17) v. Andy Pettitte (12-13, 4.56)
Davis is 3-9 against the Astros overall and 0-2 this year. His last two starts have been losses (one to Houston), but he had previously run off four straight wins. Current Astros are 69-for-244 (.283) against Davis, with seven homers. Biggio, Berkman, and Ensberg each have two homers off Davis, and Jason Lane has one. Adam Everett is 10-for-28 against him, and WillyT is 5-for-14.
Andy has only faced the Brewers once this year, a loss that came in April. Current Brewers are 50-for-182 (.275) against Pettitte, with 21 walks, 39 strikeouts, and 5 homers. Jeff Cirillo is a ridiculous 16-for-32 against Pettitte, with a single, a triple, and two homers. David Bell is only 3-for-26 but also has a homer. Graffanino is 8-for-17 against him, and Kevin Mench is 6-for-13.
Key injuries:
Milwaukee – Rickie Weeks, Vince Perkins, and J.J. Hardy are out for the season, and Corey Koskie probably is also. Matt Wise is out until early September, and Damian Miller is questionable because of a concussion.
Houston – Brandon Backe and Fernando Nieve are out until sometime in September.