It's been a magical, almost incomprehensible season for the San Francisco Giants' Ryan Vogelsong, going from Minor League nobody to Major League All-Star over the course of a few months. And with the schedule starting to wind down, Vogelsong's starts are growing with importance with every passing game, with none more important than Friday's match up with the Houston Astros.
Vogelsong (10-2 2.47 ERA) is coming off of another solid outing against the Marlins, keeping the fish to two runs on four hits along with two walks and eight strikeouts in his seven and 2/3 innings of work. It marks the seventh quality start in his last 10 outings, with hopefully another one coming this evening. Vogelsong, along with the rest of his teammates, will be facing the Astros for the first time this season, and at a time when they've all but given up on their 2011 campaign.
One of the lone bright spots that didn't get traded in Houston's fire sale was starter Wandy Rodriguez (8-9 3.50 ERA), who is coming off a loss to the Dodgers earlier this week, getting worked for five runs on six hits in six innings pitched. The Astros are 10-12 in his 22 starts, with Wandy sporting a 7-6 record along with a 2.97 ERA in his 17 starts since April 30. He's had only face the Giants three times in his career, two of which were last season, and is 1-2 with a 5.17 ERA against the Black and Orange.
First pitch is scheduled for 5:05 pm PT this evening with coverage on CSN Bay Area and KNBR 680 AM.
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