In a rare losing season for the Houston Astros, even staff ace Roy Oswalt has battled inconsistency at times.
He'll try to snap out of a recent funk Friday when the Astros begin a three-game series at Minute Maid Park against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Oswalt (14-7, 3.41 ERA) has allowed nine runs and 19 hits in 12 2-3 innings over his last two starts, losing one and not receiving a decision in the other. The right-hander was reached for four runs and nine hits Sunday in seven innings of a 4-1 defeat to the New York Mets, losing for the first time since July 14.
Oswalt, though, is 11-5 with a 2.62 ERA lifetime versus Pittsburgh, winning his last five decisions in a seven-start span since losing to the Pirates on April 25, 2005. He is 6-2 at home against them and has given up just one run in each of his last three starts at Minute Maid Park while winning two.
Ian Snell (9-12, 4.00) makes his third start at Minute Maid Park this season in a bid for a first win. The right-hander lost for the second time in his last three starts overall on Saturday, giving up four runs and seven hits in seven innings of a 5-1 defeat to the Chicago Cubs.
Snell has no record to show from two decent 2007 outings at Houston, giving up five runs and striking out 17 in 13 innings. He is 2-3 lifetime against the Astros, but 0-1 with a 3.00 ERA in three starts and four career outings at Minute Maid Park.
The Astros completed two more interviews for their vacant general manager position Thursday when former Los Angeles Dodgers general manager Dan Evans and Astros assistant general manager Ricky Bennett met with team officials.
Evans and Bennett were the 10th and 11th men to interview for the position vacated when Tim Purpura was fired Aug. 27. The Astros have no additional interviews scheduled, president of baseball operations Tal Smith said.
Astros owner Drayton McLane, team consultant Bob McLaren and Smith interviewed four people this week after interviewing seven in a three-day span last week.
"We're going to sit down over the weekend and between the three of us doing the interviews review them all," McLane said. "Next week we'll make an assessment and decide do we want to go back and get more candidates or bring three or four back in for another interview."
Evans, 47, was the general manager of the Dodgers from 2001-2004 and drafted several of the young players who make up current nucleus, including Matt Kemp, Russell Martin, James Loney, Jonathan Broxton and Chad Billingsley.
"I enjoyed it," said Evans, currently a scout for the Seattle Mariners. "We exchanged our thoughts and our philosophies, and it was a very positive conversation.
"It's very apparent to me they're focused on turning things around and definitely want to win. There's a definite commitment to the organization trying to be a winning organization."
Bennett, 37, has been with the Astros since the 2005 season and oversees the operation of the club's player-development system. Prior to coming to Houston, he spent eight years with the Detroit Tigers.
"We talked more about leadership and my personality and what I could bring to the organization from that standpoint," Bennett said. "Obviously, I've been here for the last two years, and there's a lot of things I've seen both good and bad."
Bennett said his first interview to become a general manager meant a lot to him personally and professionally.
"I have a lot of passion for this game," he said. "I think I can do the job if it's the right situation. I have a lot of confidence in my ability, and I think at some point I'll get an opportunity to run a major league ballclub."
The nine previous candidates to interview are: former Astros general manager Bob Watson; Astros assistant general manager Dave Gottfried; Dodgers assistant general manager Logan White; Kansas City special assistant Muzzy Jackson; former Montreal and Baltimore general manager Jim Beattie; former Philadelphia general manager Ed Wade; St. Louis assistant general manager John Mozeliak; Cleveland director of player personnel Steve Lubratich; and Philadelphia assistant GM Ruben Amaro Jr.
CUBS 6, ASTROS 2: Woody Williams put his team in a 4-0 hole by giving up two of his season-high four homers in the first inning Thursday, and the offense once again proved to be inept with runners in scoring position.
Williams (8-15) suffered his career-high 15th loss of the season by giving up three solo homers and a three-run shot in seven innings. His 34 homers allowed are the most in the majors and are two shy of his career high.
The Astros were hitless with runners in scoring position for the second game in row. After going 0-for-9 Wednesday, they were 0-for-6 Thursday and are 3-for-36 with runners in scoring position since Sunday.
--OF Hunter Pence set a club single-season rookie record in the first inning Thursday when he hit his 29th double of the season. He had two hits for his third consecutive multi-hit game.
--RHP Chris Sampson, who missed almost all of August on the disabled list with tendinitis in his right elbow, has been shut down for the rest of the season with a sprained capsule in his right elbow.
"It's more than likely a hyperextension, so it wasn't the ligament, which was encouraging," Sampson said. "Maybe the ligament was causing me to maybe go with a different angle. Maybe I was just cautious on my mind coming fresh off the DL. I don't know. Maybe a different arm angle caused a different little tweak. They went ahead and made the decision to go ahead and shut me down and prepare for '08."
Sampson finishes the season with a 7-8 record and a 4.59 ERA over 24 appearances, 19 of them starts. Astros manager Cecil Cooper said it was better to be cautious and prepare for next season because Sampson doesn't have anything else to prove this season.
--LHP Troy Patton, who was scratched from his start Wednesday because of tendinitis in his left biceps, took it easy Thursday after feeling discomfort during his catch session Wednesday.
"Today I'm not playing catch," he said Thursday. "They just told me to take today off. I'm taking anti-inflammatories and trying to get it back under control and feeling better."
Patton admitted having discomfort Wednesday while playing catch.
"It didn't feel very good," he said. "It was the same thing. It's nice and easy. I can play catch. The first five minutes of catch are not a problem. It's whenever I try to scoot back and throw with my natural arm motion and find my arm slot. It doesn't come out of my hand. It doesn't feel right. It ultimately keeps me from throwing the ball."
--INF Mark Loretta homered in consecutive games Wednesday and Thursday for the first time since Aug. 18 and Aug. 20, 2004.
--The Astros' bullpen has thrown 16 consecutive scoreless innings, its second-longest streak of the season.
BY THE NUMBERS: 4 -- Extra-inning games between the Pirates and Astros since the start of the 2006 season that have lasted at least 15 innings. They played 18 innings at Pittsburgh on May 27, 2006; 15 innings at Pittsburgh on Sept. 27, 2006; 16 innings at Pittsburgh on April 25, 2007; and 15 innings in Houston on Aug. 24, 2007.
MEDICAL WATCH:
RHP Chris Sampson (sprained capsule in right elbow) was shut down for the season on Sept. 13.
LHP Troy Patton (left biceps tendinitis) missed his scheduled start Sept. 12, and he may miss the rest of the season as a precaution.
LHP Wandy Rodriguez (sore left thumb) will miss his scheduled Sept. 13 start.
RHP Jason Jennings (torn flexor tendon in right elbow) went on the disabled list Aug. 21, and he had season-ending surgery Aug. 31.
LHP Stephen Randolph (strained posterior cruciate ligament) went on the disabled list Aug. 17.
SS Adam Everett (fractured fibula) went on the disabled list June 15. He hopes to be back in September.
C Hector Gimenez (right shoulder surgery in March 2007) opened the season on the 15-day disabled list, and he likely will miss the entire season. He was transferred to the 60-day disabled list June 1.