Thursday, June 28th (All times eastern)
OAKLAND ATHLETICS (40-37) AT CLEVELAND INDIANS (45-32), 12:05 P.M.
Probable Starting Pitchers: Oakland - Joe Blanton (7-4, 3.19) Cleveland - Paul Byrd (6-3, 4.74)
The Oakland Athletics try to string back-to-back wins together this afternoon and earn a split in their four-game series with the Cleveland Indians at Jacobs Field.
Oakland snapped a five-game losing streak on Wednesday, as Jack Cust homered and drove in a career-high five runs to lead the Athletics to a 13-7 win. Shannon Stewart also homered among his four hits for Oakland, which won for just the third time in its last 11 games.
Lenny DiNardo (3-4) gave up two runs on five hits with three walks and three strikeouts over five frames, and rookie Santiago Casilla tossed the final two scoreless innings for Oakland.
Jhonny Peralta, Franklin Gutierrez, Casey Blake and Travis Hafner all homered for the Indians, who saw their modest two-game winning streak come to a close.
Dominican right-hander Fausto Carmona (8-4), who began the season at 7-1, has fallen in three of his last four starts. He allowed eight runs on seven hits with two walks and a strikeout over just one-plus inning for Cleveland.
Getting the call for the A’s tonight will be righty Joe Blanton, who is 7-4 with a 3.19 earned run average and is coming off a great performance in his last start. Blanton, though, did not get the win against the New York Mets on Saturday, despite scattering five hits in eight scoreless innings of a 1-0 loss.
Blanton defeated the Tribe earlier in the year and is 1-2 in his career against them with a 4.26 ERA in three starts.
Cleveland will counter with veteran right-hander Paul Byrd, who is 6-3 with a 4.74 ERA. Byrd did not pick up a decision in his last start on Saturday against Washington, giving up three runs and seven hits in 6 2/3 innings of a 4-3 win.
Byrd has faced the A’s nine times and is 2-4 against them with a 5.40 ERA.
Oakland and Cleveland met for three games in mid-May, with the Athletics taking two of three at home. Oakland also won six of nine meetings last year with the Indians. TEXAS RANGERS (32-45) AT DETROIT TIGERS (45-31), 1:05 P.M.
Probable Starting Pitchers: Texas - Kevin Millwood (4-6, 7.31) Detroit - Kenny Rogers (1-0, 0.00)
October playoff hero Kenny Rogers makes his second start of the season today when the Detroit Tigers host the Texas Rangers in the finale of a now rain-shortened two-game series at Comerica Park.
These teams were supposed to play the second game of this contest on Wednesday, but rain in the area caused a postponement. The game will be made up as part of a day/night doubleheader on September 11.
Rogers, who helped the Tigers win the American League championship last fall, missed the first two months of this season with a blood clot problem in his pitching shoulder. He returned on June 22 against Atlanta and earned a 5-0 victory with six innings of two-hit ball to go along with five strikeouts.
The 42-year-old southpaw is 5-3 in 14 career appearances against the Rangers, for whom he pitched in three stints stretching from 1989-1995, 2000-2002 and 2004-2005. His career-best record came in 2004, when he went 18-9 with a 4.76 earned run average.
He was 17-8 last season with the Tigers.
Texas right-hander Kevin Millwood was touched for nine hits and seven runs in 3 2/3 innings of a 10-0 loss to Detroit on June 6. In eight career starts against the Tigers, he’s 3-3 with a 4.20 ERA over 49 1/3 innings.
He’s won two straight starts overall, downing Cincinnati and Houston while allowing 15 hits and seven runs in 12 innings. The two-start win streak ended a five-decision skid that had stretched from April 18 to June 12.
On Tuesday, Craig Monroe and Magglio Ordonez’s misadventures in the field allowed Texas to pull out a 9-6 victory over Detroit.
Todd Jones (1-4) retired the first two batters in the ninth, keeping the momentum from Detroit’s three-run eighth that tied the game. However, Michael Young walked and Sammy Sosa singled to set the stage for Marlon Byrd.
He came through with some extra help from Ordonez. Byrd went with an outside fastball, hitting a sinking line drive tight to the right-field line. Ordonez took the proper angle and got to the ball in plenty of time to field it on a bounce, but it scooted under his glove and rolled toward the wall, allowing both runners to score.
Ramon Vazquez added an insurance run with an base hit to right.
Sosa finished 3-for-4 with two RBI and one run scored. Wilkerson’s homer was his ninth of the season.
Sean Casey had three hits and drove home three runs in Detroit’s second straight loss after a seven-game winning streak.
Despite giving up the three runs in the eighth, Akinori Otsuka (2-1) was credited with the victory. Eric Gagne allowed a pair of base runners before recording his eighth save of the season.
Detroit topped Texas in two of three meetings on the road in early June. The clubs split 10 meetings in 2006.
TORONTO BLUE JAYS (39-38) AT MINNESOTA TWINS (39-37), 1:10 P.M.
Probable Starting Pitchers: Toronto - A.J. Burnett (5-6, 4.00) Minnesota - Carlos Silva (5-8, 3.98)
A.J. Burnett makes his return to the Toronto rotation when the Blue Jays wrap up a four-game road series with the Minnesota Twins today at the Metrodome.
Burnett has not pitched since leaving a June 12 start at San Francisco in the fifth inning with soreness in his right shoulder. The Blue Jays put the oft- injured Burnett on the disabled list a week later after he was unable to take the mound for his next scheduled outing.
It turned out to be a short stint on the shelf for Burnett, who was activated following a successful bullpen session on Monday.
The 30-year-old will be attempting to end a string of three consecutive losing decisions since a May 22 victory at Baltimore. One of those defeats came in the Metrodome on May 27, when Burnett was reached for four runs — three earned — in eight innings of work. He did yield only three hits and struck out eight in that game, however.
In his most recent start, Burnett surrendered three runs — two earned — on six hits over 4 2/3 innings in a 3-2 loss to the Giants. That outing followed a pair of appearances in which he racked up 12 and 13 strikeouts, respectively.
Burnett also faced the Twins in Minnesota last August and chalked up a victory after allowing just one run on six hits and fanning 10 over seven innings.
Carlos Silva gets the call this afternoon for Minnesota and looks to put together another strong recent start. The native Venezuelan is coming off an outstanding performance on Saturday, when he limited Florida to a run on four hits over seven innings in an 11-1 Twins’ win.
Silva is 2-1 with a 2.05 earned run average over his last three starts and has given up two runs or less in four of his six most recent appearances. That stretch started with an excellent effort against Toronto on May 27, when he held the Blue Jays to two runs in 7 1/3 innings to outduel Burnett.
The veteran right-hander is 1-2 with a 5.59 ERA in three career starts against Toronto.
The surging Blue Jays posted their fifth victory in six games with Wednesday’s 5-4 edging of the Twins. Gregg Zaun belted the go-ahead two-run homer in the sixth inning and four Toronto relievers teamed up to preserve the lead the rest of the way.
Josh Towers (3-5) allowed four runs — three earned — on nine hits over the first 6 1/3 innings before turning the game over to the bullpen. Jeremy Accardo shut the Twins out over the final 1 1/3 frames to notch his 10th save.
Blue Jays designated hitter Frank Thomas failed for a third straight game to join the 500-home run club, although he finished 1-for-2 with a pair of walks and a run scored at the plate.
Torii Hunter knocked in two runs for the Twins, who left 10 men on base. Starting pitcher Boof Bonser (5-4) was tagged for five runs on seven hits over six-plus innings.
These teams have split six meetings so far this season. Toronto took five of its seven matchups with the Twins in 2006.
NEW YORK YANKEES (36-39) AT BALTIMORE ORIOLES (34-43), 7:05 P.M.
Probable Starting Pitchers: New York - Chien-Ming Wang (7-4, 3.51) Baltimore - Daniel Cabrera (6-8, 4.98)
The New York Yankees conclude a frustrating road trip tonight at Baltimore’s Camden Yards, where the struggling club will attempt to avert a three-game sweep at the hands of the division-rival Orioles.
New York fell to 1-7 on this nine-game trek and suffered its fourth consecutive defeat with Wednesday’s shutout loss to the O’s. Erik Bedard baffled the Yankees’ sputtering offense over the first seven innings to lead Baltimore to a 4-0 decision.
Bedard (6-4) yielded just two hits and a walk while recording eight strikeouts as the Orioles improved to 5-3 since Dave Trembley replaced Sam Perlozzo as manager last week.
Baltimore denied Roger Clemens his 350th career win by scoring four times off the future Hall of Famer in the sixth inning, highlighted by a three-run homer off the bat of Aubrey Huff.
Clemens (1-3) lost his third consecutive start and allowed all four runs in his six innings of work.
The Yankees have mustered only 21 runs during this road trip. With the Bronx Bombers struggling to produce offensively, the team may need another strong performance out of ace Chien-Ming Wang this evening.
Wang had ripped off four victories in four starts before receiving a no decision Saturday in San Francisco. The 2006 American League Cy Young runner- up was touched for four runs on six hits over 6 1/3 innings against the Giants.
Prior to that outing, Wang recorded a career-high 10 strikeouts and finished one out short of a complete game in an 8-2 win over the crosstown rival Mets on June 17. It was the seventh straight time that the right-hander had allowed three runs or less.
Wang owns a 2-1 record with a 4.19 ERA in six career games (five starts) against Baltimore and has given up only four runs in 15 lifetime innings at Camden Yards.
The Orioles counter with the enigmatic Daniel Cabrera, who will be seeking to post back-to-back victories for the first time since early May.
Cabrera turned in an excellent effort Friday in Arizona, as the towering right-hander limited the Diamondbacks to a run and two hits while striking out six in six innings. That was a significant improvement over his previous two starts, when he yielded 12 runs over 12 2/3 innings in consecutive losses to Arizona and Washington.
The 26-year-old has made eight previous starts against the Yankees and is 2-3 with a 3.94 ERA versus New York.
Baltimore has now won four of the five meetings between the AL East foes this season and can earn its first sweep of the Yankees since taking three straight games at Camden Yards from April 15-17, 2005. New York is 10-6 in its last 16 games in Baltimore, however.
CHICAGO WHITE SOX (32-42) AT TAMPA BAY DEVIL RAYS (33-43), 7:10 P.M.
Probable Starting Pitchers: Chicago - Javier Vazquez (3-5, 4.15) Tampa Bay - Scott Kazmir (5-3, 4.13)
The Chicago White Sox try and complete their first sweep of the season this evening when they wrap up their four-game set with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays at Tropicana Field.
On Wednesday Mark Buehrle pitched seven innings and Paul Konerko’s two-run double in the eighth inning gave Chicago the lead, as the White Sox rallied for a 5-3 victory. Rookie Andy Gonzalez knocked in his sixth run of the series for Chicago, which had lost 22 of 27 games heading into this series.
Buehrle (5-4), with his future in question, gave up three runs — two earned — on nine hits with six strikeouts and three walks for the White Sox, who scored five unanswered runs in the seventh and eighth innings to erase a 3-0 deficit.
Buehrle has been mentioned in several trade rumors while some reports have him signing a contract extension with Chicago.
Scott Podsednik went 2-for-5 with a triple and a run scored and Bobby Jenks pitched a 1-2-3 ninth to pick up his 20th save for Chicago.
Carl Crawford, Carlos Pena and Jonny Gomes each knocked in a run for the Devil Rays, who have lost six of eight.
Gary Glover (3-3) was saddled with the loss, as he surrendered three runs and four hits in just two-thirds of an inning. Andy Sonnanstine started for Tampa and gave up three runs (two earned) on nine hits in seven innings.
Hoping to complete the sweep for the Sox tonight will be right-hander Javier Vazquez, who is winless in his last four starts. Vazquez, who is 3-5 with a 4.15 earned run average, was sensational on Saturday against the Cubs, but received a no-decision nonetheless, despite surrendering a run and five hits in seven innings. He also struck out eight without walking a batter in his team’s 2-1 loss.
Vazquez lost to the Devil Rays earlier in the season and is 3-2 lifetime against them with a 5.14 ERA in eight starts.
Tampa will counter with 23-year-old Scott Kazmir, who is 5-3 with a 4.13 ERA. Kazmir, who has just one loss in his last eight outings, picked up a no- decision against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Saturday, as he surrendered three runs and seven hits in six innings of a 4-3 loss.
Kazmir has won both of his starts against the White Sox, while pitching to a 3.21 ERA.
These teams split a rain-shortened two-game series earlier in the year, but the White Sox have won seven of the last 11 matchups. Chicago is also 14-8 in the series since the start of the 2004 campaign. PITTSBURGH PIRATES (33-44) AT FLORIDA MARLINS (36-42), 12:05 P.M.
Probable Starting Pitchers: Pittsburgh - Zach Duke (3-6, 5.44) Florida - Scott Olsen (5-6, 4.76)
The Pittsburgh Pirates will shoot for their first sweep in more than two months this afternoon, when they close out a three-game series against the Florida Marlins at Dolphin Stadium.
Pittsburgh hasn’t swept a series since taking all three contests versus the Houston Astros at home from April 24-26. It has won the first two matchups of this set with Florida, including Wednesday’s 7-5 victory in 10 innings.
With the score knotted at 5-5 in the top of the 10th inning, Xavier Nady and Ryan Doumit belted back-to-back home runs off Marlins reliever Kevin Gregg, who was saddled with the loss.
Nady ended with a pair of home runs and Jose Bautista also homered for the Pirates, who have won two straight following a five-game skid. Freddy Sanchez had three hits on the evening.
Pittsburgh starter John Van Benschoten allowed two runs and three hits while walking five and striking out three over four innings. Shawn Chacon earned the win in relief with 1 2/3 shutout frames.
The Pirates, who are 12 1/2 games off the lead in the NL Central standings, will send Zach Duke to the mound today. He is 3-6 with a 5.44 ERA in 16 starts this season and 2-1 over his previous six outings, with consecutive no decisions.
In his last start on Friday against the LA Angels of Anaheim, Duke allowed one run over 5 1/3 innings of a 5-4 loss at Angel Stadium.
The left-hander is 0-1 with a 3.60 earned run average in three career starts against Florida. He faced them on May 16 of this season and did not factor in the outcome, yielding a pair of runs through seven frames of a 4-3 setback at PNC Park.
Meanwhile, the Marlins will try and halt a four-game losing streak today. In last night’s extra-inning affair, Hanley Ramirez homered and Alfredo Amezaga knocked in two runs for the Marlins, who are eight games off the lead in the National League East division.
Starter Sergio Mitre surrendered five runs on seven hits, walked three and fanned five in six innings of work.
Taking the ball for the Marlins this afternoon will be Scott Olsen, who is 5-6 with a 4.76 earned run average in 16 starts this season. Olsen is just 1-3 over his past six appearances, though, and recorded a no decision Friday against the Minnesota Twins at Dolphin Stadium. The lefty held the Twins to two runs in six innings of a 5-4 Marlins’ triumph.
Olsen will try to remain unbeaten in his career against the Pirates, as he is 2-0 with a 2.84 ERA in three starts against them. He countered Duke on May 16 and did not factor in the outcome, surrendering three runs in 6 1/3 innings during Florida’s one-run victory.
Pittsburgh is 4-2 against Florida this season. The clubs split a four-game series earlier in the year from May 14-17 at PNC Park. The Marlins went 5-2 against the Pirates last season, including a 3-1 record at Dolphin Stadium.
LOS ANGELES DODGERS (44-34) AT ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS (45-34), 6:40 P.M.
Probable Starting Pitchers: Los Angeles - Randy Wolf (8-6, 4.32) Arizona - Randy Johnson (4-2, 3.52)
Randy Johnson returns to the mound for Arizona tonight as the Diamondbacks wrap their crucial four-game series with the Los Angeles Dodgers at Chase Field.
Johnson will head to the hill for the first time since June 10 when he threw six innings of one-run, four-hit ball in a win over Boston.
The left-hander was to start on June 16 against Baltimore, but skipped the outing due to severe pain in his back, and eventually landed on the disabled list. It was after that when Johnson learned he had re-herniated a disc in his back, an injury that had previously required offseason surgery this past winter and caused him to miss the start of this season.
However, after pitching in a simulated game on Monday, it was decided Johnson would start tonight.
The 43-year-old has won his last four decisions, spanning six undefeated starts, making him 4-2 on the year with a 3.52 earned run average. His 4,614 career strikeouts are third on the all-time list behind New York Yankee Roger Clemens and his 4,626 punch outs.
In 21 career starts versus the Dodgers, Johnson is 7-5 with a 2.71 ERA and two complete games.
Randy Wolf will try to stop a personal two-game losing streak with tonight’s start for the Dodgers. After besting the Mets on June 11, Wolf took the loss six days later against the LA Angels of Anaheim and then was handed a defeat on Saturday at Tampa Bay.
Versus the Devil Rays, the left-hander allowed four runs for the second straight start while giving up 10 hits in 6 2/3 innings. Wolf has lost three of his last four starts to fall to 8-6 on the season with a 4.32 ERA.
He is 4-2 with a 4.07 ERA in nine career starts versus Arizona, including a loss to the club on April 30 of this year. On that day, Wolf was tagged for six runs on 5 2/3 frames.
The Diamondbacks entered this series with a 1 1/2-game lead over the third- place Dodgers for first place in the NL West, but lost the first two games before rebounding with a 2-0 win on Wednesday.
However, while the Dodgers and Diamondbacks have been beating each other up, the San Diego Padres have won two straight to jump into first place in the standings. Arizona is just a percentage point behind, while the third-place Dodgers are a half-game off the pace.
The Dodgers are still 6-2 against the Diamondbacks this season and is 10-3 in the last 13 meetings overall.
It was a pitching duel last night, as Brandon Webb (8-5) threw seven shutout innings, scattering seven hits and five walks in the win.
Derek Lowe (8-7) took the tough-luck loss, as he gave up only two runs — one earned — on five hits over 6 2/3 innings. He watched his offense go 0-for-13 with runners in scoring position and left 13 men on base.
Chad Tracy hit a sacrifice fly and Eric Byrnes singled in a run for Arizona, which is 5-4 on a 10-game homestand that wraps tonight. The club next hits the road for 10 straight games.
The Dodgers, meanwhile, are 5-4 on a 10-game road trip and will next return home for 10 games.
CINCINNATI REDS (30-48) AT PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES (40-37), 7:05 P.M.
Probable Starting Pitchers: Cincinnati - Matt Belisle (5-5, 4.73) Philadelphia - Adam Eaton (7-5, 5.63)
The Cincinnati Reds will wrap their nine-game road trip tonight when they play the finale of a three-game set with the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park.
The Reds improved to 3-5 on the swing with a 9-6 victory on Wednesday. Cincinnati will next return home for nine straight games.
Yesterday, Javier Valentin came off the bench and went 2-for-2 with two RBI, including the go-ahead run in the eighth, to life the Reds to victory.
Adam Dunn homered for Cincinnati, which had lost three straight entering the game. Starter Aaron Harang let up eight hits and five runs in six-plus innings, fanning three and walking three. Marcus McBeth (2-1) earned the win in relief, while David Weathers held the Phils scoreless over the last two innings for his 15th save.
The loss overshadowed a historic mark for Philadelphia’s Ryan Howard, who hit his 100th career homer in only his 325th career game, the fewest contests to the century mark in major league history.
Ralph Kiner had held the previous record, hitting the century mark with Pittsburgh in 385 games back in the 1940s. However, Howard eclipsed the record with a 505-foot homer to dead center, the longest in the short history of Citizens Bank Park.
Greg Dobbs went 3-for-3 with two runs and an RBI for the Phillies, who have split their last 10 games and are 3 1/2 games behind the Mets for first place in the NL East. New York will be in town over the weekend for four games, including a double-header on Friday.
Jamie Moyer held the Reds hitless through five innings, but finished up allowing three runs and three hits in six-plus innings with eight strikeouts and three walks. Geoff Geary led a horrid effort by the bullpen, allowing three runs in only a third of an inning. Brian Sanches (1-1) allowed one hit and one run in a third of a frame.
Adam Eaton comes into tonight’s start for the Phillies on a sour note after dropping his last outing on Saturday against the Cardinals. Eaton allowed six runs on eight hits in 5 1/3 innings at St. Louis to fall to 7-5 on the year with a 5.63 earned run average.
The right-hander has made four career starts against the Reds and is 2-0 with a 3.60 ERA. He last faced the club on August 15, 2004 while with the Padres and earned the win.
Matt Belisle was originally slated to start yesterday’s game, but was pushed back in favor of Harang. Instead, he goes today hoping his bullpen can come through for a change.
Belisle has been the victim of a blown save in three of his last four starts, including last Wednesday at Oakland. The right-hander allowed two runs (one earned) on four hits and four walks in six innings of work, and left the game with a 3-2 lead. However, the A’s plated a pair of runs in the seventh inning and went on to win 5-3.
The 27-year-old, who is 5-5 on the year with a 4.73 ERA, faced the Phillies three times as a reliever before starting against them on April 22 of this season. He took the loss after allowing four runs over five innings, falling to 0-1 lifetime against Philadelphia with a 7.11 ERA.
Philly won two of three games against Cincinnati at Great American Ball Park earlier this season and is 11-7 over its past 18 meetings with the Reds. ST. LOUIS CARDINALS (34-41) AT NEW YORK METS (43-33), 7:10 P.M.
Probable Starting Pitchers: St. Louis - Adam Wainwright (6-6, 4.58) New York - Orlando Hernandez (3-3, 2.77)
The New York Mets are back in the victory column and will try for a series win when they close out a four-game set against the St. Louis Cardinals tonight at Shea Stadium.
After winning the opener of this series in 11 innings on Monday, the Mets dropped an 11-inning decision on Tuesday before bouncing back with a rain- shortened win last night. Tom Glavine collected the 297th victory of his career as he allowed one hit, struck out one and issued two walks through six innings of New York’s 2-0 triumph. The game was called after 5 1/2 innings due to weather conditions.
Glavine is now three wins away from becoming the 22nd pitcher to reach the 300-win mark.
David Wright hit a two-run homer and ended 1-for-1 with a walk for New York, which improved to 6-3 on its current 10-game homestand. The Mets also pushed their lead in the National League East standings to 3 1/2 games over both the Philadelphia Phillies and Atlanta Braves.
New York, which will open an 11-game road trip tomorrow in Philadelphia, will hand the ball to Orlando Hernandez this evening. Hernandez is 3-3 with a 2.77 earned run average over 11 starts this season, but owns an 0-2 record in his last four trips to the mound.
The high-kicking right-hander last pitched on Saturday against the Oakland Athletics and did not post a decision. Hernandez hurled seven scoreless innings with seven K’s and two walks in a 1-0 victory at Shea Stadium.
Hernandez made his first career appearance against St. Louis on April 3 of this season and was the winner with seven innings of one-run ball. He permitted five hits and issued a pair of walks during a 4-1 triumph at Busch Stadium.
St. Louis, meanwhile, has dropped three of four and four of its last six games. In last night’s rain-shortened contest, starting pitcher Anthony Reyes allowed just two runs on two hits — both in the first inning — and struck out three batters in a five-inning complete game.
Reyes has now dropped 10 straight decisions this season and 12 in a row dating back to the 2006 regular season, tying Bill Kissinger’s franchise record set from 1896-97.
Scott Rolen had the only hit for the defending-champion Cardinals, who were held scoreless for the eighth time in 2007 and are now 10 1/2 games off the top spot in the National League Central division.
St. Louis is expected to activate starting catcher Yadier Molina off of the disabled list Thursday. Molina, who broke his left wrist, hasn’t played since May 29 against Colorado.
The Cardinals will send Adam Wainwright to the hill this evening, and he is 6-6 with a 4.58 ERA in 15 starts this season. Wainwright is 2-1 in his last three outings and recorded the win on Saturday against Philadelphia, yielding just two runs in six innings of an 8-3 home triumph.
Wainwright, who has lasted at least six innings in six straight starts, is 0-0 with an 18.00 earned run average in two career relief appearances against the Mets. He has allowed four runs in two innings versus New York.
New York is 5-1 against the Cardinals this season and has outscored them 27-8 in those games.
COLORADO ROCKIES (38-40) AT HOUSTON ASTROS (32-46), 8:05 P.M.
Probable Starting Pitchers: Colorado - Aaron Cook (4-5, 4.93) Houston - Roy Oswalt (7-5, 3.55)
A pair of sputtering teams start up a four-game series tonight at Houston’s Minute Maid Park, where the Astros return home to take on the Colorado Rockies.
Colorado enters this set having lost the first six tests of a current nine- game road trip, while the Astros have dropped six of their last seven overall. Both clubs just suffered three-game sweeps at the hands of NL Central teams, with the Rockies losing all three matchups with the Chicago Cubs and Houston falling three straight times to the division-leading Milwaukee Brewers.
The Rockies’ recent woes continued on Wednesday, as Mark DeRosa smacked a three-run homer to back six good innings out of starting pitcher Carlos Zambrano in the Cubs’ 6-4 triumph.
Colorado pulled within 6-4 on Garrett Atkins’ two-run homer in the top of the eighth inning, but Will Ohman retired Brad Hawpe for the final out of the frame and Carlos Marmol tossed a 1-2-3 ninth for his first career save.
Hawpe knocked in the other two runs for the Rockies with a sixth-inning single.
Colorado starter Jason Hirsh (3-7) yielded five runs on five hits — two of them home runs — through six innings of work.
Houston finished 2-7 on a nine-game road swing which ended with Wednesday’s 11-inning loss at Miller Park. Damian Miller belted a three-run homer off Astros reliever Dave Borkowski to give the Brewers the walkoff win.
Lance Berkman went 2-for-5 with a solo home run for Houston, while Eric Bruntlett also collected two hits and an RBI in the setback.
Astros starter Woody Williams pitched well despite not factoring in the final outcome. The veteran righty allowed three runs — two earned — on six hits and walked just one through six innings.
Houston will begin an 11-game homestand tonight. At some point during the residency, longtime second baseman Craig Biggio is expected to become the first player in franchise history to reach the 3,000-hit plateau.
Biggio is just three hits shy of becoming the 27th player in major league history to reach the milestone. The 41-year-old popped out as a pinch-hitter in his lone at-bat on Wednesday.
Roy Oswalt gets the call for Houston in tonight’s opener and will attempt to maintain his excellent career numbers against Colorado. The Astros ace is 5-1 with a 2.27 earned run average in seven previous starts versus the Rockies, although he did surrender four runs over six frames in a no decision at Coors Field on June 7.
Oswalt suffered a loss in his most recent trip to the hill. The right-hander allowed three runs on eight hits over 6 1/3 innings in a 7-2 setback at Texas on Saturday. He is just 1-3 over his last eight starts.
Colorado’s Aaron Cook has also had trouble breaking into the win column as of late. The sinker specialist, who will take the mound tonight, has dropped three straight starts and four consecutive decisions since a May 26 victory at San Francisco.
Cook has posted a subpar 6.82 ERA during his winless stretch and given up five runs or more in four of those five starts. Against Toronto on Saturday, he was rocked for eight runs (six earned) on nine hits in 5 1/3 innings of the Rockies’ 11-6 loss.
The right-hander faced Houston on June 6 and allowed five runs in a six-inning no decision. For his career Cook is 3-0 with a 4.60 ERA in six appearances, including five starts, against the Astros.
Colorado took two of three games from Houston at Coors Field earlier this month and has claimed six of eight matchups between the clubs since the beginning of the 2006 season. However, the Rockies are 3-17 in their last 20 games at Minute Maid Park.
