Who We Got
San Francisco: 1-0
On the Road: 1-0
Houston: 0-1
At home: 0-1
Starting Pitchers
Barry Zito, 0-0, 0.00 ERA
Wandy Rodriguez, 0-0, 0.00 ERA
Why the Astros Will Win
Because the Astros are facing Barry Zito, who - against current Astros - has allowed a slash line of .243/.337/.378. Carlos Lee does well against Zito (9x33, four extra base hits).
Or because Zito struggles before the end of April. In his career, Zito is 13-26 with a 5.16 ERA/1.43 WHIP in March/April. Meanwhile, Wandy has the opposite issue. In March/April, Wandy is 7-5 with a 2.70 ERA/1.11 WHIP.
Zito hasn't pitched against the Astros since 2008, but in three starts against Houston, he's 1-1 with a 4.82 ERA.
Why the Astros Will Lose
Because Wandy had a rough spring. In six starts, he threw just 19.1IP, and allowed 34H/26ER, 17K:9BB.
Or because Wandy doesn't feel very confident in his abilities. Hopefully it's just a smoke-screen, but I can't imagine that anyone who feels like they can't find their spots can actually find their spots.
Or because Wandy has only faced four Giants in the current lineup: Uribe, Freddy Sanchez, Edgar Renteria, and Mark DeRosa. And those Giants have tagged Wandy for .389/.459/.796 in 54 plate appearances.
We didn't come out here to play tiddlywinks, son.
-Hal Smith
