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Pittsburgh Pirates are hoping a visit to Houston will enable the struggling club to break a five-game losing streak. The Bucs play the first of three straight meetings with the fellow National League Central member Astros tonight at Minute Maid Park.
Pittsburgh fared well as the visitor in this series last year, winning six of the nine matchups held in Houston as well as 10 of the 15 overall encounters between the clubs. However, the Astros went 6-0 against the Pirates at Minute Maid Park in 2006 and took 13 of its 16 games versus Pittsburgh that season.
These teams also played a three-game set in the Steel City earlier this year, with the Pirates capturing two of those tests.
Pittsburgh has stumbled badly out of the All-Star break and has fallen into the NL Central basement following this weekend's four-game sweep at the hands of Colorado at Coors Field. In Sundays finale, the Rockies pounded out 15 hits and overcame an early three-run deficit to cruise to an 11-3 victory.
Pirates starter Zach Duke (4-7) was rocked for nine runs and 10 hits over five-plus innings to suffer the loss. Nate McLouth and Adam LaRoche had RBI singles for Pittsburgh, which is an awful 15-32 on the road this season and has now dropped seven straight as the guest.
With the ineffective Tom Gorzelanny having been sent to the minors a few weeks back, John Van Benschoten gets another opportunity to prove he belongs in the Pittsburgh rotation this evening. The former first-round draft pick, who will be recalled from Triple-A Indianapolis, failed in a starting audition earlier this season and brings an ugly 2-12 career record along with an 8.96 earned run average over 24 major-league appearances (17 starts) into tonights opener.
Van Benschoten's most recent big league outing came against the Astros in Pittsburgh back on July 9. In that game, he issued six walks in 4 2/3 innings and received a no-decision after allowing four runs on seven hits. The right- hander did strike out six Houston hitters, however.
The 28-year-old was demoted to Triple A following that performance and has compiled a 1-2 record with a gaudy 9.77 ERA in three starts and four relief appearances with the Pirates this season. Van Benschoten is 1-1 with a 5.40 ERA in three games, two of which have been starts, lifetime against Houston.
The Astros will also be bringing up a slumping pitcher of their own to start tonight in Runelvys Hernandez, who will be promoted from Triple-A Round Rock to take the place of the injured Roy Oswalt.
Hernandez made three starts for Houston during the first half and lost each time, including a July 7 defeat to the Pirates in which he was battered for 10 runs and 13 hits over just four innings. The one-time Kansas City prospect surrendered 17 runs (16 earned) and 24 hits in only 14 innings during those three mound trips.
The 30-year-old didn't fare much better upon being sent back to the minors. In two starts for Round Rock following the Pittsburgh loss, Hernandez allowed seven runs (6 earned) and walked four over six innings.
Houston had won four straight contests prior to Sunday's 9-0 loss to NL Central-leading Chicago at Minute Maid Park. All-Stars Ryan Dempster and Carlos Marmol combined on a six-hit shutout to help the Cubs avoid a sweep of the three-game series.
Astros starter Brandon Backe (6-10) recorded eight strikeouts in 6 2/3 innings on Sunday, but the right-hander was touched for four runs on eight hits before exiting. Carlos Lee finished with two of Houstons six hits on the afternoon.
