Houston Astros vs San Diego Padres Live Streaming
Friday, July 2, 2010
Houston Astros vs San Diego Padres Live | Houston Astros vs San Diego Padres | Houston Astros vs San Diego Padres Streaming | Houston vs San Diego MLB Live Stream | Houston Astros vs San Diego Padres Live Webcast
10:05 pm EDT Fri Jul 2, 2010
By shutting down one opponent after another over the past two months, Mat Latos is emerging as the staff ace for the NL West-leading San Diego Padres. Roy Oswalt has enjoyed that same role with Houston for much of the past decade, but his days with the Astros could be numbered. Latos looks to win his fourth straight decision and help the Padres bounce back from a tough loss Friday night, while Oswalt, whose name has come up in trade rumors, tries to continue his dominance over San Diego. After going 4-5 with a 4.62 ERA in 10 starts as a rookie in 2009, the 22-year-old Latos is putting together an All-Star caliber season. The right-hander has a 1.89 ERA in 11 starts since the start of May - yielding two runs or fewer 10 times - and his .197 opponents’ batting average on the season is the best in the baseball.
Latos was in line to win his fourth straight start Sunday against Florida, giving up one run, six hits and four walks in 5 2-3 innings, but the bullpen couldn’t protect the lead. The Padres still went on to win 4-2, improving to 8-2 in Latos’ last 10 starts. This stretch began with a commanding performance in a 7-0 win at Houston on May 7, when Latos allowed two hits and struck out a career-best nine in eight innings. San Diego took two of three in Houston in May, but lost Thursday’s opener 6-3 in 10 innings. The Padres still have a 2 1/2-game lead on second-place Los Angeles in the division. Houston’s Michael Bourn hit a two-run triple in the 10th, leading the Astros to their sixth victory in nine games. Houston’s offense is showing signs of turning things around, plating at least five runs in seven of its last nine contests. The Astros, 13 games back of NL Central-leading Cincinnati, had reached the five-run mark twice in their previous 10 games. The Padres could have some trouble of their own offensively against Oswalt, who has routinely frustrated San Diego over the course of his 10-year career.
