Ugh, Rick Ankiel. Just. No. Damn your right foot that let Prince Fielder score the game-tying run. Anyhow, the Astros take on the Tigers in the 2nd of a 4-game series.
The Tigers will send out Doug Fister (Not "Dog Fister," which is absolutely hilarious).
*The 29-year old Fister is 6'8" 210lb. He's got seven inches of height on me. I've got 30 pounds on him. Who ya got in a fight?
*Fister was drafted in the 7th Round of the 2006 draft by Seattle - the same round in which the Astros drafted David Qualben. Qualben was released after a 2008 season in which he went 3-11 for Salem in the High-A Carolina League with a 5.46 ERA/1.68 WHIP. Fister has the highest WAR of any player drafted in the 7th Round of the 2006 draft.
*He was drafted out of Cal State Fresno, the alma mater of Tanner Scheppers, Matt Garza, Casey McGehee, and Jeff Weaver.
*In two and a half seasons with the Mariners, Fister went 12-30 with a 3.81 ERA/1.24 WHIP. He was 3-12 with a 3.33 ERA in 2011 when the Mariners traded him and David Pauley to Detroit for Charlie Furbush, Francisco Martinez, Casper Wells and Chance Ruffin. Fister finished the 2011 season 8-1 for the Tigers with a 1.79 ERA/0.84 WHIP to continue the legacy (which includes the Erik Bederp trade) of hilarious Mariners trades. His 5.2 WAR in 2011 was good enough for 6th in the AL.
*Fister went 10-10 with a 3.45 ERA in 26 starts for the Tigers in 2012, missing time due to a ribcage injury. In Game 2 of the 2012 World Series, Gregor Blanco hit Fister in the head with a line drive. Fister stayed in the game and held the Giants to 1ER in 6IP.
*Fister has made five starts this season. Regard:
4/05 vs. NYY: 5IP, 6H/3ER, 2K:2BB
4/11 vs. TOR: 8IP, 8H/1ER, 5K:1BB
4/16 @ SEA: 7IP, 4H/2ER, 5K:1BB
4/21 @ LAA: 7IP, 5H/0ER, 5K:2BB
4/28 vs. ATL: 7IP, 6H/3ER, 8K:0BB
*Fister is also leading the league in HBPs with eight. He has hit five batters in his last two starts.
*RHBs vs. Fister: .260/.321/.342. LHBs vs. Fister: .189/.283/.226. In 142 PAs, opponents have just six extra-base hits and one homer.
*On the road, Fister is 1-0 with 9H/2ER, 10K:3BB in 14IP.
*Five of the six extra-base hits Fister has given up have come with one out.
*Eight of the nine earned runs Fister has allowed have been in the 4th and 5th innings.
*Fister has never faced Houston, but Carlos Pena is 0x6 and Chris Carter is 2x5 with a homerun.
The Astros will send out Bud Norris, who got a little roughed up in his last start - the one that completed the four-game sweep at Fenway.
*In his last two starts, Norris has allowed 17H/4ER, 8K:4BB in 11IP.
*Bud Norris hasn't allowed a homer his last four starts (18.2IP), which is the longest stretch of starts since he gave up his first homer in the sixth start of the 2010 season.
*He is throwing his changeup more (so far) in 2013. In 2012, Norris threw an 85.3mph changeup 6.7% of the time. This year he's throwing an 85.1mph changeup 14.5% of the time, dialing back to 51.9% (from 56.7% in 2012) on his fastball, which has remained exactly the same, averaging 91.8mph.
*RHBs vs. Norris: .536 OPS. LHBs vs. Norris: .958 (.357/.416/.543 - .390 BABIP).
*Norris has never faced Detroit, but Prince Fielder is 5x19 with 1HR and Omar Infante is 2x9.
