The Houston Astros will look to bounce back from Thursday night's defeat when they host the Philadelphia Phillies Friday evening at Minute Maid Park. The Astros lost the first game of their four-game series with the Phillies Thursday, dropping the team to 45-99. A loss in Friday's game would mean a second consecutive 100-loss season for the Astros.
Houston will turn to pitcher Edgar Gonzalez, who has been excellent since receiving a September call-up to the big league club. Gonzalez has won each of his two starts, throwing 10 2/3 combined innings and allowing just 2 earned runs. Gonzalez made his major league debut in 2003 and has shuttled between the majors and minors ever since, spending most of this season in the Pacific Coast League.
Philadelphia will hand the ball to southpaw Cole Hamels, who comes in at 14-6 with a 3.03 ERA. Hamels has not lost a start since August 2. Friday will be Hamels' first start of the season against Houston.
First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 pm CT. Television coverage will be available on Fox Sports Houston, with radio coverage broadcast on KTRH 740 and KLAT 1010.
For more on the Astros, visit The Crawfish Boxes, and for Phillies coverage, do check out The Good Phight. For all things Houston, stay updated at SB Nation Houston. Check out Baseball Nation and SB Nation's YouTube Channel for more on Major League Baseball, as well: