By ,
Published February 05, 2015
(SportsNetwork.com) - Right-hander and part-time starter Brad Peacock becomes the latest Houston pitcher to face a Detroit juggernaut on Wednesday night, when the Astros visit the Tigers for game three of a four-game series at Comerica Park.
Peacock began his season in the bullpen but has since made four starts, compiling a 3.94 earned run average and walking 12 at the beginning of games after he'd surrendered eight runs in 9 2/3 innings as a relief pitcher.
He's walked an average of 7.01 batters per nine innings, the most in the big leagues among pitchers who've thrown 25 innings. Along with that daunting number, the Astros' bullpen has come together for a major league-worst 6.24 ERA.
"It's a little tough, you know," reliever Josh Fields said. "We're struggling. But it'll be alright."
Detroit has won eight of the last nine games between the teams since the start of 2013 and has outscored Houston, 68-23, while doing so.
Right-hander Rick Porcello gets the start for Detroit with a chance to build on the superb strikeout-to-walk ratio he's compiled thus far this season.
Porcello has retired 5 1/2 batters on strikes for every one he's walked - which computes to 22 strikeouts and four walks.
Additionally, he's 2-0 with a stingy 1.32 ERA in a pair of home starts, and his most recent overall outing - a Friday start at Kansas City - resulted in an 8-2 win after he went seven innings and allowed four hits and two runs.
"Throwing first-pitch strikes I think was the biggest key," Porcello said. "Being ahead 0-1 instead of 1-0 is huge. You can go a lot of different ways when you do that."
He won his lone career meeting with Houston in 2013.
On Tuesday, Robbie Ray pitched into the sixth inning in his major league debut and Miguel Cabrera went 4-for-5 with a homer and four RBI as the Tigers posted their seventh straight win, 11-4.
Ray (1-0), who had his contract purchased from Triple-A Toledo before Tuesday's game, allowed five hits and a run over 5 1/3 innings. He also had five strikeouts before departing after throwing 86 pitches, 55 for strikes.
Ian Kinsler finished 3-for-5 with two runs scored, part of a season-high 18- hit attack, and Danny Worth drove in three runs. Torii Hunter continued his torrid pace at the plate by going 2-for-4 and knocked in a run Hunter is batting .421 (24-for-57) during a 13-game hitting streak.
Brett Oberholtzer (0-6) lost his 10th straight decision going back to last season. The lefty, who yielded nine hits and four runs over six innings, hasn't won since Sept. 1 against Seattle in his only career shutout.
Rookie George Springer had the first three-hit game of his career and knocked in a run for the Astros.
https://www.foxnews.com/sports/peacock-astros-try-to-solve-tigers