The Pittsburgh Pirates host the Houston Astros at PNC Park to open a week day set.
The Astros drive to reach the .500 mark has been side tracked as a 3-0 loss to the Cubs on Sunday has the team in the midst of a four game slide. The Astros have now dropped seven of eleven overall as the bats have struggled mightily to put up a consistent attack. That was the issue Sunday and it squandered a solid performance on the mound from Wandy Rodriguez who gave up three runs on five hits over seven innings pitched. The Astros bats were largely silent with only four hits to their credit and seldom threatened which how things have gone for the offense in the past four contests. Jordan Lyles opens the series on the mound looking to duplicate his last start when he defeated San Diego by a 5-3 count. Lyles gave up a single run on six hits and four walks in 6.1 frames.
The Pirates have been playing some good baseball over the past two weeks despite a 5-4 loss to National League Central rival St Louis. That put an end to a four game winning streak but Pittsburgh has won seven of eleven overall to maintain their grip on second in the division while keeping pressure on Cincinnati. The bats have come to life although they weren't strong enough Sunday with starter Erik Bedard giving up five runs on eight hits and a pair of walks over just 4.2 frames. The offense had plenty of opportunities with 12 hits and a walk with Michael McHenry delivering a three run homer to cap a four run fourth. Pittsburgh sends James McDonald to the mound riding back to back victories although he struggled last time out in a 11-7 win over Philadelphia. McDonald allowed four runs on six hits over 5.1 innings of work.
Lyles might have a high ERA but he has proven to be more than capable while McDonald has assumed the role of ace for Pittsburgh. This is a big price for the Pirates but right or wrong I believe backing a team that is hot and hitting the ball is the way to go...
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