After a surprising 3-9 loss in the 9th inning of the first game in the series, the Astros will return tonight to try to hold on to their second to last place lead over the Pirates.
Houston now holds a one-game lead over Pittsburgh, and are 12 games behind the division-leading Chicago Cubs. However, both the Astros and the Pirates share a batting average of .259 and in their previous series, the Pirates beat the Astros 2-1.
The Astros are playing pretty well, but they need to win as many games as possible in order to secure a spot in the playoffs later this year.
Tonight's starting pitcher is Jack Cassel, who has a 1-0 record this season. Regular pitcher Roy Oswalt was placed on the 15-day disabled list on Sunday for a hip abductor strain and a small, but old, herniated disc. Oswalt was replaced for Monday's game by Runelvys Hernandez, who played a beautiful first 5 1/3 innings. Oswalt leads the team in ERAs, wins and strikeouts.
Kazuo Matsui is also back in action at the head of the lineup after a 15-day stint on the disabled list for a strained right hamstring.
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