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Roy Oswalt continues to have an outstanding second half of the season for the Houston Astros – and he hasn’t faced the Cincinnati Reds in nearly a month.
Oswalt looks to win his eighth straight start against the Reds, and remain undefeated at home against them as he takes the mound for the Astros in the decisive game of a three-game series on Thursday night.
Oddsmakers from SBG Global have made Houston -181 money line favorites (MLB Odds) for tonight’s game, the over/under has been set at 8 total runs (Game Matchup). Current public betting information shows that 58% of bets for this game have been placed on Houston -181 (View MLB Bet Percentages).
Houston (83-74) is still in playoff contention, but has little margin for error. The Astros trail Milwaukee and the New York Mets by 3 1/2 games for the wild card.
"We live to dance a few more days," Astros manager Cecil Cooper said. "We just have to keep winning and hope for divine intervention."
Facing must-win games the rest of the way, Houston seems to have an excellent opportunity to earn a victory with Oswalt (16-10, 3.60 ERA).
After struggling in the first half of the season, Oswalt has been one of the majors’ best pitchers over the last two months. He is 8-2 with a 1.67 ERA in his last 10 starts.
That stretch includes two wins against Cincinnati (78-74), a team Oswalt has dominated throughout his career. He has won seven straight starts versus the Reds, posting a 2.51 ERA, and is 22-1 with a 2.51 ERA in 25 starts and two relief appearances all-time against them.
The veteran right-hander has never lost a home start to Cincinnati, going 11-0 with a 2.45 ERA. His latest start against the Reds was at Houston, where he gave up one run and five hits in seven innings as the Astros won 4-1 on Aug. 27.
Oswalt earned a win in his last start, allowing one run and seven hits in six innings as Houston beat Pittsburgh 6-2 on Sunday.
Oswalt has gotten an average of 7.0 runs to work against the Reds in his career, and Houston had a solid game at the plate in a 5-0 win on Wednesday. The Astros went 3-for-8 with runners in scoring position after going 1-for-10 in a 2-1 loss in the series opener on Tuesday.
Houston first baseman Lance Berkman hit 29th homer of the season on Wednesday, a two-run shot. He’s batting .396 (19-for-48) with three home runs, seven doubles and eight RBIs in 14 games against Cincinnati this season.
Astros second baseman Kazuo Matsui, meanwhile, went 2-for-4 and is hitting .417 (10-for-24) since returning from the disabled list Sept. 16. He had been sidelined with a back injury.
Matsui will likely be back at the top of Houston’s lineup in a matchup with Johnny Cueto (9-13, 4.62 ERA), who is 0-2 with a 6.50 ERA in three career starts against the Astros.
The rookie right-hander has given up two runs or less in five of his last six outings, and is 1-1 with a 1.35 ERA in his last four road starts. Cueto was at home in his last outing and earned a win, allowing two runs and six hits in six innings as Cincinnati beat Milwaukee 4-3 on Saturday.
Before that start, Cueto got two runs or less to work with in five straight outings. Cincinnati continues to struggle at the plate, scoring two runs or less in three of its last four games.
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