Houston Astros (70-75) at Cincinnati Reds (66-79), 7:10 p.m.
Sports Network | September 16, 2009
(Sports Network) - Right-hander Yorman Bazrdo makes his third start of the season and fifth of a brief major-league career tonight when the Houston Astros visit Great American Ball Park for the finale of a three-game set with the Cincinnati Reds.
Bazardo, who reached the majors and made one bullpen outing with the Florida Marlins back in 2005, has pitched six times for the Astros in 2009, starting twice and posting a 9.00 earned run average across 13 innings.
The most recent start was particularly troublesome, when, during a 14-7 loss at Arizona on Aug. 28, the 25-year-old was tagged for eight hits and eight runs in just two innings.
In his other five appearances, he's combined to allow just 11 hits in 11 innings, striking out nine and walking eight.
His last appearance in a game came Sept. 11 against Pittsburgh, when he tossed a scoreless inning and struck out the side in Houston's 9-1 defeat of the Pirates.
Bazardo has never faced the Reds.
For Cincinnati, 32-year-old righty Justin Lehr gets the call in hopes of restarting a win streak.
The Orange, Calif. native won consecutive starts against Milwaukee and Pittsburgh on Aug. 27 and Sept. 1, respectively, before dropping a 6-4 verdict to Chicago at Wrigley Field on Sept. 11.
In that game, his eighth of the season, Lehr allowed five hits and five runs in 4 2/3 innings.
A veteran of 66 big-league outings - all in relief - prior to this season, Lehr has faced the Astros four times and allowed four hits and three earned runs in six innings, walking four and striking out three.
He is 2-0 in four starts in Cincinnati.
The Reds have won the first two games of the series, including a 5-4 triumph on Tuesday when Paul Janish's third double of the game drove in the winning run in the seventh inning.
Janish also scored two runs while Scott Rolen registered two RBI for the Reds.
Kaz Matsui homered and ended with two RBI and two runs scored for the Astros, who have lost three straight games. Miguel Tejada added an RBI and a run scored in the losing effort.
With the score tied 4-4 in the seventh, the Reds manufactured a run and grabbed the lead for good. With Samuel Gervacio (1-1) on the mound for the visitors, leadoff batter Corky Miller was hit by a pitch.
Bronson Arroyo, a key starting pitcher for Cincinnati, replaced Miller as a pinch-runner on first base. Drew Sutton bunted Arroyo to second and a double to center field by Janish gave the Reds a one-run lead.
Nick Masset pitched a scoreless eighth and closer Francisco Cordero worked around a two-out single in the ninth to notch his 36th save of the campaign.
Daniel Ray Herrera (4-4) earned the win after he got the final out in the seventh inning.
After dropping 12 of 15 to the Astros last year, including all six meetings in Cincinnati, the Reds have won nine of 12 against Houston this year while taking six of the eight matchups held at Great American Ball Park.
