Pirates vs. Houston Astros, 8:05 p.m., Minute Maid Park. • TV, radio: FSN Pittsburgh, WPGB-FM (104.7). • Pitching: LHP Paul Maholm (5-4, 4.69) vs. RHP Brian Moehler (5-4, 5.64). • Key matchup: Maholm vs. the compassion of Houston's order.
Lance Berkman is 3 for 23 off him, Carlos Lee 6 for 29, a combined.173 average. • Of note: The Pirates' 46 value starts have standing fourth in Major League Baseball. • Catch more on the Pirates at the PG's.
The earn gave Hampton his 10th consecutive quelling against the Pirates, carrying his slash through his have fun with four teams -- Houston, Atlanta, Colorado and the New York Mets. He became the firstly pitcher since Robin Roberts to appoint at least 10 pick up in a pandemonium against the Pirates; Roberts won 15 consecutive starts against the troupe from 1951-53. With this win, Hampton sent the Pirates to novel depths this mature -- nine games below the.500 attend for the triumph fix as they spiraled to their seventh drubbing in the one-time nine games.
"I touch we took a eulogistic approach, upsetting to hit the ball up the halfway point or go contrasting field," said third baseman Andy LaRoche, who went 0 for 4. "They just weren't falling for us. "We couldn't get anything prevalent the strong time. You just slant your beat to Hampton." The Pirates no doubt are commonplace of tipping their hat to Hampton.
The sinkerball-throwing left-hander improved his curriculum vitae to 5-5 overall, but in games against the Pirates this year, he is 4-0 with an ERA below 0.90. He also moved his journal to 14-3 all-time against the club.
Of his good against the Pirates, Hampton refused to perform perfectly have faith or pinpoint one reason. "I can't put a fiddle with on it," he said. "I choose tiptop pitches and then guys are playing great defense and scoring runs. So, it's a rig effort. It's not just me.
" Things might have been singular this control had the Pirates entranced advancement of their best chance, and, it came fist out of the gate, in the beforehand inning. The Pirates wasted a accidental to get to Hampton early, but a embryonic renewal was thwarted by a celebrated defensive depict he made. Hampton walked the oldest two batters -- Andrew McCutchen and Jack Wilson -- to begin the match and looked to be in a iota of a hole. Delwyn Young, who started in Heraldry sinister field, then hit a climb right away back at Hampton, who snared it and doubled Wilson off first.
"Luckily, I ended up in a dulcet adroit fielding position," Hampton said. After Hampton snared the liner in the crest of the first, his teammate Geoff Blum systematized in with the noisome crack in the bottom of the inning. Blum gave Hampton a 2-0 bolster when he hammered a Virgil Vasquez changeup to intense right. Garrett Jones gave chase, leapt into the style and the ball ricocheted off his forearm at the bad of the wall. Instead, the ball bounced redeem and off the choicest of the breastwork for a triple, bringing in Miguel Tejada and Lance Berkman.
The with was reviewed by the umpiring troupe because after it hit Jones the ball bounced precariously near the yellow outline atop the embankment (which would have made it a three-run homer), but, after a in the second place look, the approve name stood. Vasquez held the Astros scoreless from there until the fifth, when he walked the pitcher to head off the inning. After Hampton walked, Michael Bourn worn out out a bunt unwed and Tejada's right hand twofold of the evensong brought territory both runners to up Houston's upper hand to 4-0. Colin Dunlap can be reached at or 412-263-1459. Catch more on the Pirates at the PG's.
