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The
Houston Astros
hope to get their pitching back on track and close the gap in the playoff race when they open a three-game set with the
San Diego Padres
on Tuesday.
The Astros (49-56) enter this series after dropping two of three to the
Arizona Diamondbacks
in a weekend set that saw the bullpen allow three homers and post a 9.00 ERA.
Houston squandered a four-run lead Sunday after
Roger Clemens
allowed one run and two hits over seven innings. The bullpen allowed six runs in the last two innings, including the go-ahead
run on
Conor Jackson
's solo homer off closer
Brad Lidge
, as the Astros lost 7-6.
''This was tough,'' Astros manager
Phil Garner
said. ''We give them six runs the last two innings and that's tough, particularly after Roger pitched so well and things looked
like they were on our side.''
Astros owner Drayton McLean reportedly ordered general manager Tim Purpura to trade Lidge prior to Monday's deadline, but
Purpura denied the report.
''We took in a lot of proposals on
Brad Lidge
as a result of that erroneous report,'' Purpura said, ''but they were nothing close to what we would've valued
Brad Lidge
for.
''He's a valuable commodity. He is somebody a lot of clubs would covet. If you're acting in the best interest of the Astros,
you're doing everything you can to get Brad back on track and get him producing like he can.''
Lidge is 0-3 with a 5.77 ERA and has converted 23 of 27 save opportunities this season after going 4-4 with a 2.29 ERA and
saving 42 of 46 games in 2005.
The right-hander, though, was 0-3 with a 4.26 ERA and three saves in four opportunities in 10 playoff appearances last year.
The blown save came when he surrendered a go-ahead, three-run homer to
Albert Pujols
in the top of the ninth in a 5-4 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals in Game 5 of the NL championship series.
Despite the homer, the Astros advanced to the World Series, where they were swept by the
Chicago White Sox
, with Lidge losing two games.
Houston will start another struggling pitcher Tuesday in
Andy Pettitte
(9-11, 5.18 ERA). The left-hander lost his first relief appearance since 1998 in his last outing, allowing a run Friday in
the 11th inning of Houston's 8-7 loss to Arizona.
''I had a chance to come in and get three outs and I couldn't do it,'' Pettitte said. ''It's disappointing to lose this one.''
The defeat came two days after he allowed five runs and 11 hits in an 8-5 win over the
Cincinnati Reds
.
The Astros are in fourth place in the NL Central, 9 1/2 games behind the division-leading Cardinals, and are six games back
of Cincinnati in the wild-card race.
The NL West-leading Padres (55-50) are beginning a six-game homestand after completing a 5-6 road trip with a 3-1 loss to
the
Colorado Rockies
on Sunday.
''It's been a long road trip, a grind,'' manager
Bruce Bochy
said. ''We were hoping to get a win, but just came up short.''
San Diego hopes
Jake Peavy
(5-10, 5.01) can win consecutive starts for the first time this season when he starts the series opener.
The right-hander made adjustments to his delivery and had one of his best performances of the season Wednesday as he won for
the first time in nine starts since May 28. Peavy gave up two runs and five hits with eight strikeouts in seven innings of
a 10-3 victory over the
Los Angeles Dodgers
.
The 2005 All-Star is 4-3 with a 2.59 ERA in eight career starts against the Astros.
Peavy may have a new teammate in the lineup, as the Padres acquired infielder
Todd Walker
from the
Chicago Cubs
in exchange for pitcher Jose Ceda prior to Monday's trade deadline.
Walker was hitting .277 with six homers and 40 RBIs in 94 games for the Cubs, starting 41 games at second base and playing
35 at first while filling in for the injured
Derrek Lee
. In San Diego, though, he will help out at third, where he hasn't played since 1996-97 with Minnesota.
''We'll see. You know, if I can't do it, it's not going to be from a lack of effort,'' he said. I'm going to go over there
and give them everything I've got. They deserve at least that. We'll see how it works out. But they've got a good team. I'm
going to do the best I can.''
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