Houston Astros at Washington Nationals - Houston Chronicle

Astros-Nationals Preview

According to STATS

According to STATS

Houston Astros at Washington Nationals

1. From 2009 through 2011, 15 of 20 Astros-Nationals games were won by the home team. In that time, the Nats went 7-2 vs. the Astros in Washington, while Houston won eight of 11 home games against Washington.
2. Nationals hitters have drawn 45 walks this season, second most in the majors (San Diego, 48). Washington hitters have also fanned 80 times, tied for fourth most in MLB, and are averaging 3.97 pitches per plate appearance, ranking fifth most among all teams.
3. The Astros have gotten 69 hits in 2012 by players currently under the age of 30 -- second most in MLB. Only the Tigers, with 76, have gotten more hits by players who have yet to reach their 30th birthday.
4. The Nationals lead MLB with a 1.75 ERA by their starters, and rank seventh in bullpen ERA at 2.43. They are one of three teams that rank in the top seven in both starters' ERA and relief ERA (Pittsburgh and Texas are the others).
5. Jayson Werth has an MLB-high 11 hits with two strikes, and is hitting .458 (11-for-24) in at-bats that go to a two-strike count. The MLB-wide batting average with two strikes is .174.
6. Jose Altuve is hitting .333 in 27 at-bats against NL East teams in 2012. Last season, Altuve hit just .190 in 21 at-bats vs. NL East foes.
7. Stephen Strasburg's only previous start vs. the Astros is his shortest career outing to date, a three-inning effort at Washington on September 11, 2011. Strasburg enters Monday's game with a streak of 44.1 innings without allowing a home run, since yielding a longball to Arizona's Adam LaRoche on August 15, 2010.

Notes Applicable For Series Dates: 4/16/2012 thru 4/19/2012

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By TOM CASTRO

STATS Senior Editor

(AP) -- The Washington Nationals' Stephen Strasburg has picked right up where he left off last season. Unfortunately for the Houston Astros' Kyle Weiland, it appears he has as well.

Strasburg seeks another strong start Monday night when he opposes Weiland in the opener of a four-game set, looking to get Washington back on track after its five-game winning streak was snapped.

Strasburg (1-0, 0.69 ERA) has pitched like his dominant self through two starts this season, a continuation of his results from the end of 2011, when he missed most of the year following elbow surgery. He posted a 1.50 ERA in five starts last September and has given up one run over 13 innings in 2012.

Strasburg pitched six innings of two-hit ball to defeat Johan Santana and the New York Mets 4-0 on Wednesday. He struck out nine while throwing a career-high 108 pitches.

"I'm going to handle him just like he is perfectly healthy," manager Davey Johnson said of Strasburg, expected to be limited to 160 innings this season. "There was plenty left in the tank there."

The 23-year-old right-hander, who will be making his 2012 home debut, has not won in his last six starts in Washington. Strasburg has been noticeably better on the road in his career, going 5-1 with a 1.74 ERA there and 2-3 with a 2.78 ERA at home.

He's made one start against Houston, a three-inning stint Sept. 11 in which he allowed one run and three hits with four strikeouts and no walks in his second game back from surgery. The Nationals went on to win that contest 8-2, forging a split of the six-game season series with the Astros.

The Nationals (7-3) will look to Strasburg to help them bounce back from an 8-5, 11-inning loss to Cincinnati on Sunday. Washington erased a 5-0, fourth-inning deficit but couldn't complete the four-game home sweep.

"We've won every series. I think that's our main goal - especially at home," said reliever Tyler Clippard, who surrendered Joey Votto's winning two-run double.

While Strasburg has been outstanding so far, Weiland's season debut looked about the same as his five starts as a rookie in 2011. The right-hander, 0-3 with an 8.72 ERA as a starter with Boston last year, gave up four runs and eight hits - two homers - in five innings of a 6-4 loss to Atlanta on Tuesday.

"As the starter, you're supposed to get to the sixth, seventh inning and save your bullpen," Weiland said.

Weiland, still seeking his first career win, has not faced Washington.

Houston (4-5) lost for the fourth time in five games Sunday, 5-4 in 11 innings at Miami. J.A. Happ turned in a solid effort with two runs allowed in six innings, but Astros starters have posted a 5.88 ERA in the last five contests after recording a 1.71 ERA during the team's 3-1 start.

Washington has been powered offensively by Jayson Werth, Adam LaRoche and Ian Desmond. Werth went 2 for 4 on Sunday to extend his hitting streak to seven games, going 14 for 30 in that span, while LaRoche drove in two runs to give him 10 RBIs on the season. He's batting .341.

Desmond went 3 for 5 on Sunday to raise his average to .354. He's recorded at least one hit in all but two games in 2012.

Nationals reliever Craig Stammen pitched four scoreless innings in three games against the Reds over the weekend, striking out nine while going 2-0.

Updated April 15, 2012

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