SERIES PREVIEW
Mistake on the Lake @ Nothing Rhymes with “Gulf”
May 9-11, 2016
Monday, May 9 – 7:10pm CDT
Corey Kubler (2-3, 3.35) vs. Mike Fiers (2-1, 5.35)
Kubler has had a couple of rough games but has otherwise been pretty effective with four quality starts under his belt. He has also been gobbling innings, only once going fewer than six innings and going seven or more four times. His last outing was his best of the season so far, a complete-game shutout of the Tigers. He was 1-1 with a 1.29 ERA in two starts against the Astros in 2015.
Fiers is coming off his shortest outing of the year – he didn’t make it out of the 5th inning in the 16-4 rout against the Twins. He has never faced the Indians and their roster as a whole is only 3×14 against them.
Tuesday, May 10 – 7:10pm CDT
Trevor Bauer (2-0, 5.14) vs. Chris Devenski (0-1, 1.46)
Bauer started the season in the bullpen and only recently moved back to the rotation. In two starts he took a no-decision (4 IP, 3 ER) in a game the Indians would lose to the Phillies, and picked up a win against the Tigers (5.2 IP, 3 ER). Like Kubler, Bauer has given the Astros fits the last couple of years – in three starts he is 3-0 with a 0.90 ERA, and it was in his start at Minute Maid last year that he and three relievers nearly no-hit Houston, save for a one-out Jed Lowrie homer in the 9th.
The Astros seem content to continue starting Devenski in Feldman’s spot as long as both remain effective in those roles. Devenski pitched six innings of one-run ball against the Mariners and was in line for a win before the bullpen imploded.
Wednesday, May 11 – 1:10pm CDT
Danny Salazar (3-2, 1.91) vs. Doug Fister (3-3, 4.54)
The closest Salazar has come to having a bad game was against the Twins, allowing three earned runs and not lasting through the 5th inning. Other than that he has been great, including taking a four-hit shutout into the 8th inning against KC last Friday. Even his losses haven’t been bad, both the result of poor offensive support in 2-1 losses. The Astros missed Salazar in 2015, but in 2014 he had a 1.35 ERA and .174 opposing average in two starts against the good guys.
Fister continues to step up his game, notching his fourth straight quality start against the Mariners in a 6-3 win last Friday. Be on the lookout, though: the Cleveland roster is .309/.354/.537 with nine home runs against him, and Michael Brantley, Rajai Davis, and Marlon Byrd have all hit well against him.