Houston Astros (56-61) at Milwaukee Brewers (58-58), 2:05 p.m.
Sports Network | August 16, 2009
(Sports Network) - The Milwaukee Brewers are aiming for their first sweep in two months, as they close out a three-game series this afternoon versus the Houston Astros at Miller Park.
Milwaukee has won three in a row overall, including the first two portions of this series, and last registered a sweep against Cleveland from June 15-17 at Progressive Field. The Brewers remained in the win column with Saturday's 6-2 victory thanks to three hits and three RBI from Craig Counsell. Felipe Lopez also had three hits, while both Prince Fielder and Mike Cameron had an RBI.
Mike Burns got the win with seven innings of two-run ball before David Weathers and Todd Coffey each threw a scoreless inning in relief for Milwaukee, which is six games off the wild card lead and seven games behind St. Louis in the National League Central.
"Burns had a solid performance tonight," said Brewers manager Ken Macha. "The key to his game tonight was his fastball location. He ran the ball in to open up his breaking pitches."
Braden Looper has been struggling lately and will to pitch himself out of the current funk when he takes the hill Sunday. Looper is 1-2 with a 6.75 earned run average in his last four starts, and was pounded by San Diego the last time on the bump.
Looper allowed seven runs -- five earned -- and 11 hits in five innings of a 13-6 defeat to fall to 10-6 in 24 starts this season while raising his earned run average to 4.99. The big righty will take on the Astros for the first time this season and is 7-6 with a 3.73 ERA in 39 games, nine of which have been starts, against them.
Hunter Pence's two-run homer accounted for all of Houston's offense, as the Astros lost their third straight and fifth in sixth games. Brian Moehler dropped his third consecutive outing, allowing three runs on 10 hits and two walks in five innings of work.
"I was looking for a fastball, and it was a breaking ball all the way," Pence said of his blast in the seventh inning. "I got lucky to keep my arms back and somehow got them out there."
The Astros are 8 1/2 games off the NL Wild Card lead.
Getting the call for Houston tonight will be Roy Oswalt, who is 3-0 over his previous eight starts with three consecutive no-decisions. He did not factor in the outcome of a 9-8 loss at Florida on August 11, as he gave up six runs in five innings.
The veteran right-hander, who is 6-4 in 23 starts, faced the Brewers once this season in a 4-3 loss on May 21. Oswalt did not record a decision and yielded three runs and 10 hits in 6 1/3 innings. He is 13-8 with a 3.62 earned run average over 26 career starts in this series.
Milwaukee has won seven of the 11 meetings with Houston this season.
