The Astros open a three-game series at Cincinnati tonight.
The Reds were 9-6 against Houston in 2011, and are 31-15 against Houston since 2009. And the Reds are 17-7 at home against the Astros since 2009.
The Astros will face 6'0" 180lb RHP Mike Leake tonight.
*Leake was drafted with the 8th overall pick in 2009 by the Reds out of Arizona State, where he was teammates with Brett Wallace.
*Leake is the first player since Xavier Nady (2000) to not spend a day in the minors, and the first starting pitcher to do it since Jim Abbott in 1989.
*Be sure to secure your valuables: On April 18, 2011, Leake was arrested by Cincinnati police for shoplifting six t-shirts from the downtown Cincinnati Macy's.
*He is 2-3 against the Astros in his career, with a 4.45 ERA/1.39 WHIP.
*Carlos lee is 1x12 against Leake in his career, while Chris Johnson has two hits - both of them homers.
*Leake is 0-2 on the season with a 6.50 ERA, having given up 5ER in each of his last two starts (at Washington, at Chicago).
*This season he has thrown 184 of his 276 pitches for strikes (66.7%) and is getting 13.6% of his strikes swinging.
*PitchFx velocity (via FanGraphs) has his velocity sitting just a tick off his 2011 totals, with an 89.4mph fastball, 88.7mph sinker, and 80.9mph slider.
We didn't come out here to play tiddlywinks, son.
-Hal Smith
