Arizona Diamondbacks (54-68) at Houston Astros (59-62), 8:05 p.m.
Sports Network | August 21, 2009
(Sports Network) - The struggling Arizona Diamondbacks can pretty much pack it in since they are 14 1/2 games behind in the wild-card race. Tonight their bags are packed and a lengthy road trip continues with the opener of a three- game series against the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park.
Arizona has lost five in a row and was just swept in three games by the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park to fall to 0-4 on its four-city, 10-game road swing. D-Backs starter Doug Davis was dealt the loss for allowing six runs -- five earned -- and five hits in five innings. Leo Rosales gave up three runs in relief and Daniel Schlereth was touched for two more.
"Doug was pitching on a tightrope again," D-Backs manager A.J. Hinch said. "(He) gave a few extra bases away. They got him with some soft stuff out over the plate. They did damage and got a sizable lead, then they tacked on."
Chad Tracy had two hits and an RBI, while Miguel Montero and Alex Romero both knocked in a run for Arizona, which is 26-33 away from the desert. Stephen Drew, Ryan Roberts and Mark Reynolds had two hits apiece in defeat.
Arizona, which will also visit San Francisco on the trip, will send Yusmeiro Petit to the hill on Friday and he has dropped back-to-back starts to fall to 2-7 with a 6.47 earned run average in 14 games (13 starts) this season. Petit was rocked in his most recent outing on August 16 versus Los Angeles, as he gave up seven runs and nine hits in four innings of a 9-3 defeat.
Petit, a right-hander, is 1-0 with a 6.23 ERA in two games (1 start) versus the Astros.
Houston has won two straight and three of four games, but sits nine games off the NL Wild Card lead. After losing the opener of a three-game set versus Florida, the Astros rallied for back-to-back wins and posted the series victory with a 4-1 triumph Thursday.
Wandy Rodriguez recorded his career-high 12th win of the season and allowed one unearned run and four hits in eight innings of work. Rodriguez also had an RBI double, struck out seven and walked a pair of batters before Jose Valverde posted his 18th save with two strikeouts in the ninth.
"I thought it was a really masterful performance," Astros manager Cecil Cooper said of Rodriguez on the club's site. "I thought he was very strong after that first inning, in particular. He ran into a little trouble in the first inning, but once he settled in, I thought he was terrific."
Carlos Lee hit a two-run homer and Hunter Pence added a solo shot in the decisive fourth inning for the Astros.
Houston ace Roy Oswalt has enjoyed success throughout his career against Arizona and will shoot for another victory in this series when he takes the ball Friday. Oswalt beat the Diamondbacks on June 13 at Chase Field, where he pitched seven innings of one-run ball in a 6-4 triumph. He improved to 8-1 with a 2.15 earned run average in 10 career matchups with the D-Backs.
Oswalt is 3-0 in his last nine starts overall, with four consecutive no- decisions. He has given up at least five runs in each of his previous two starts and last took the mound in an 8-5 win at Milwaukee on August 16. Oswalt did not record a decision despite giving up five runs and eight hits in six frames. He allowed six runs in five innings of a 9-8 loss to Florida on August 11, and is 6-4 with a 4.01 ERA in 24 trips to the mound.
Houston won two of three meetings with Arizona from June 12-14 at Chase Field.
