(Best E Casino) - Young right-hander Alberto Arias makes his second start of the season tonight for Houston when the Astros finish off a three-game series with the
Florida Marlins at Dolphin Stadium.
Arias, who reached the major leagues with the Colorado Rockies last season and made 12 relief appearances with them to begin 2008, made his initial big- league start on Sept. 8 for the Astros and downed Pittsburgh, 3-2.
In that game, at Houston's Minute Maid Park, he allowed two hits in five scoreless innings while walking three batters and striking out six.
In fact, he's not allowed a run over his last six combined appearances, dating back to May 24 in New York - when he was touched for two in the Rockies' 9-2 loss to the Mets.
Overall this season, he's allowed 14 hits and four runs in 18 2/3 innings.
He has never faced the Marlins.
For Florida, lefty Scott Olsen takes the mound after snapping a nine-start skid his last time out.
The 24-year-old Michigan native defeated Washington, 2-1, on September 12 after allowing six hits and a run in six innings.
In nine previous starts, he'd gone 0-6 while watching his earned run average swell from 3.84 to 4.41.
Olsen is 2-0 lifetime against Houston, allowing 12 hits and six runs in 12 2/3 innings.
On Wednesday, Alfredo Amezaga drove in four runs and Jorge Cantu added a grand slam, as the streaking Marlins pounded the Astros, 14-2.
Mike Jacobs finished 3-for-5 with two RBI and scored twice for the Marlins, who matched a season-high with their seven straight win and trail the Philadelphia Phillies by 5 1/2 games in the NL East.
The Marlins also trail the New York Mets by five games in the wild card standings.
Hanley Ramirez clubbed two solo home runs for Florida before leaving after the fourth inning with a left shoulder strain. Ricky Nolasco (15-7) gave up two runs on six hits over seven innings to get the win.
Hunter Pence hit a pair of home runs for Houston, which has lost four games in a row and sit four games back in the race for the NL wild card. Brandon Backe (9-13) was tagged for five runs on six hits in a season-low 1 2/3 innings.
Houston took two of three from the Fish earlier in the season.
