The Houston Astros face a tough challenge of ending a game losing streak tonight with Brett Myers on the hill in the second game series against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Myers is back in the fold after missing a start to be with his wife for the birth of their fourth child. He pitched two innings of relief and allowed a run during an 8-2 win over Pittsburgh last Tuesday. Myers hasn't fared so well lately on the mound, going a career-worst 0-7 with a 5.01 earned run average in 13 games (12 starts).
"You can only control what you can control," Myers said on the club's site. "I'm going to go out there and keep trying to give us the best chance to win. If the wins are there, that would be great. If not, there's nothing I can do about that."
The curveball specialist is 3-13 in 29 games (28 starts) this season to go along with a 4.81 ERA and has posted a 2-6 mark in 16 starts on the road. In 15 career games, 13 of which have been starts, against Pittsburgh, Myers is 6-6 with a 3.26 ERA.
Houston had won four in a row before its recent slide and dropped a 3-1 decision to the Buccos in Monday's series opener. Henry Sosa was the hard-luck loser for the 'Stros after he pitched six innings of two-run ball with three strikeouts and three walks.
"[Sosa] threw the ball extremely well," Astros manager Brad Mills said. "His ball had good movement and good sink, and he went deep into the game for us and gave us a chance for our bullpen to again do a pretty good job."
Jose Altuve drove in the lone run for Houston, which will visit Washington for three games after this series. Carlos Lee had his season-long 14-game hitting streak come to a close with an 0-for-3 performance.
Pittsburgh has won three of four games since a five-game slide and witnessed a strong outing from James McDonald, who held the Astros to a run and three hits over 7 1/3 innings. He also struck out six and walked three.
"His pitch count was efficient throughout," Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said about McDonald. "They scratched that one run across. It was a really good outing for him."
Joel Hanrahan put the game-tying runs in scoring position in the ninth, but closed out the game to earn his 35th save of the year. Derrek Lee homered and Ryan Doumit finished with three hits for the Pirates, who will try to get Hurdle his 600th career win this evening.
Pittsburgh outfielder Jose Tabata left Monday's game with a left wrist injury and could miss tonight's contest.
Taking the ball for the Pirates tonight will be Brad Lincoln, who is 1-1 with a 3.64 ERA in eight games (4 starts) this season. He lost his last outing versus the Dodgers on Thursday and gave up three runs in six innings of a 6-4 defeat.
Lincoln dropped his only appearance against the Astros in a 6-2 setback from Minute Maid Park on July 6, 2010, when he was reached for five runs in five innings of work.
The Pirates have won 10 of 16 meetings with the Astros in 2011, but Houston still owns a 5-3 mark in the past eight meetings between the two ballclubs.
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