Series Preview- The Fish

While it's been a little tough for me to watch the Astros lately- due to more interesting things that are going on in my life, not to mention the fact that they're 28 games under .500- seeing them finally win a game in a big way last night was rather refreshing, and it gave me a sort of hope for this upcoming series against the Florida Marlins. So much so, in fact, that I decided to write a series preview for the first time in what feels like forever. So here you go, faithful fans who are still following...

Houston Astros (30-58) vs. Florida Marlins (39-48), July 7-10, Sun Life Stadium

Game 1:
6:10 pm- J.A. Happ (3-10, 5.63 ERA) vs. Brad Hand (0-3, 3.79)

Game 2:
6:10 pm- Jordan Lyles (0-3, 4.17) vs. Javier Vazquez (4-8, 5.64)

Game 3:
6:10 pm- Brett Myers (3-8, 4.67) vs. Ricky Nolasco (5-5, 3.91)

Game 4:
12:10 pm- Wandy Rodriguez (6-5, 3.25) vs. Chris Volstad (4-8, 5.46)

This series is shaping up to be the Battle of No Pitching, as only one of the eight projected starters owns a winning record. The man who owns that record, Wandy Rodriguez, also has the lowest ERA of any of the probable pitchers, a mediocre 3.25. The ball should really fly in the first game tonight, as the young Hand has given up multiple home runs already in just three starts, and Happ hasn't gotten a win since May 14. Vazquez and Lyles both seem to be victims of silly mistakes and low run support, so I wouldn't count on Lyles getting his first major league win in Miami. Myers vs. Nolasco is simply a matchup of below-average pitchers; both teams will understandably rely on their batting order to win the game. Wandy vs. Chris Volstad might be the only chance fans have to see a pitching duel this weekend.

PREDICTION: I'm flying by the seat of my pants here, and throwing all the chips in by saying the 'Stros will take 3 out of 4 and win their first series since they took two out of three against the Dodgers. I reckon they will lose tonight, as I've yet to believe that Happ belongs in a major league rotation at all, but I actually see the team winning all three matchups after that. The bats finally woke up in the last game against the Pirates, and since the club's runs have been coming in bunches all season long, I wouldn't be surprised to see them hang a few on the only pitching staff in the league that rivals theirs in terms of ineptitude. You never know, maybe that "team meeting" will bring a little winning streak to Houston. Kudos to the...um, leaders of the team for calling that meeting. One question though...shouldn't they have done that like...88 games ago?