Current Series
3 game series vs Pirates @ PNC Park
| Mon 07/07 | WP: Denny Bautista (2 - 1) SV: Damaso Marte LP: Runelvys Hernandez (0 - 3) | Mid-event |
Houston Astros Tuesday, Jul 8, 2008, 6:05 PM CDT Brandon Backe vs Ian Snell Mostly cloudy with a 50-percent chance of rain. Winds blowing out to left field at 5-15 m.p.h. Game Time temperature: Around 80.
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| Wed 07/09 | Brian Moehler vs John Van Benschoten | 6:05 PM CDT |
This game looks like it could turn into a rather high scoring affair pretty quickly. Last time out Brandon Backe went 6.2 innings, allowing 5 earned runs on 7 hits with 2 home runs against the Dodgers on July 3rd. If there is one thing that Backe isn't, it's consistent. He's not consistently bad, or consistently good. He'll have a few good starts, and then a few bad starts... Unfortunately, his record is showing up more in the bad starts because he's lost almost twice as many games as he's won. If I had to guess how he'll do tonight... I'm saying he'll have a good game... He's had 2 bad starts in a row, so I guess you could say he's due.
Snell is pretty much the same story as Backe... inconsistent. Snell started off June with a 4 inning, 6 earned run outing against the Cardinals and then came back with 2 good outings(5 innings, 1 ER against the Diamondbacks and then 6 innings, 1 ER against the Nationals) and then followed up those 2 good outings with 2 bad outings(4 innings, 7 ER against the White Sox and 4 innings, 4 ER against the Blue Jays). One thing Snell has managed to do is keep the ball in the yard(only 7 home runs in 16 games), while Backe isn't(22 home runs in 18 games).
Snell is coming off the 15 day DL due to medial epicondylitis in his right elbow which is basically a medical term for inflamation in the elbow. It has also been called Golfer's Elbow or even Pitcher's Elbow. Link from wikipedia if you care.
I guess Cooper likes Erstad in the 1 hole... anything is better than Bourn.