Astros-Giants Preview

5/11/2008 10:55 PM

By ANTHONY GIORNALISTA
STATS Senior Writer

While Houston Astros ace Roy Oswalt is beginning to settle down after a poor start, there's no telling how long San Francisco Giants disappointment Barry Zito's problems will last.

Oswalt looks to win his fourth straight decision for the surging Astros as they face Zito and the Giants on Monday night in the opener of a four-game series.

Oswalt (3-3, 5.33 ERA) and Zito (0-7, 6.95) have been two of the major league's elite pitchers this decade, but both have struggled this season.

After losing his first three starts, Oswalt has gone 3-0 with a 3.55 ERA in his last five outings. He gave up three runs and six hits while striking a season-high nine in seven innings against Washington on Wednesday night, but did not receive a decision as Houston (21-17) won 4-3.

The right-hander, though, has surrendered four home runs in his last two starts and has given up 11 overall after allowing just 14 in all of 2007.

Oswalt went 0-1 with a 2.57 ERA in two starts versus the Giants last season, and is 2-5 with a 4.07 ERA in 10 career starts.

Zito, meanwhile, has lost all seven of his starts and spent 10 days working out his problems in the bullpen before the Giants (16-22) put him back in the rotation.

His seventh start was much better than the previous six, allowing two runs, three hits and striking out five in five innings as San Francisco lost 3-1 to Pittsburgh on Wednesday night. In his previous outing, Zito was roughed up for eight runs and seven hits in three innings in a 10-1 loss to Cincinnati on April 27.

"We're comfortable with Barry," Giants manager Bruce Bochy told the team's official Web site. "The results are not great but we have to figure a way to score some runs. The Astros are playing well. It looks like they are clicking."

Zito will be facing a Houston team that has won eight of nine, scoring six or more runs six times during that stretch. His first appearance against the Astros was last May 23, allowing one run and four hits in seven innings to earn a win in a 9-1 victory.

Houston, though, is coming off yet another strong game at the plate, going 5-for-11 with runners in scoring position in an 8-5 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Sunday. The Astros were no-hit through six innings and trailed 3-1 after seven, but picked up their 11th come-from-behind win.

"We feel like we have the offense to get us back in a lot of ballgames," Houston center fielder Hunter Pence said. "We don't feel like we're defeated just because we're down two runs late in the game. It just goes to show the kind of character we have on this team. We have some guys that dig in and battle."

The Giants, meanwhile, have won consecutive games for the first time since matching a season-best with three straight wins from April 23-25.

Steve Holm hit a go-ahead, two-run shot in the seventh inning for his first major league homer as San Francisco beat Philadelphia 4-3 on Sunday. The Giants snapped a season-worst five-game losing streak with an 8-2 victory over the Phillies on Saturday.