It’s always fun when the Astros and the Diamondbacks get together. Mostly because it looks like an intrasquad game, seeing as the two squads have exactly the same color schemes. Of course, the Diamondbacks call there shade of red “Sedona Red”, while the Astros sport “brick red”.

In case you had any trouble grasping how bad the National League West has been this year, the Diamondbacks’ 3-game weekend series with the Houston Astros should really drive the point home to you. The Diamondbacks are 62-59 on the season, and are tied for first place in their division. The Astros own the exact same record, and are in 4th place in the NL Central, 12 games behind the Chicago Cubs. But the precedent has been set for a late-season Astros’ comeback before. On this date in 2005, the Astros trailed by 10 games in the NL Central, but came back to win the Wild Card, and eventually the 2005 pennant before losing to the White Sox in the World Series. This is the Diamondbacks only trip to Minute Made Park this season. Arizona took two out of three from the Astros in Phoenix in late April.

Here’s a closer look at both teams…

Houston Astros (62-59, 4th place in NL Central, 12 games behind Chicago Cubs)

Manager: Cecil Cooper (2nd year with Astros, 77-75)

Offensive Leaders:

AVG: Lance Berkman, .333

Runs: Lance Berkman, 96

Hits: Lance Berkman, 141

HR: Carlos Lee, 28

RBI: Carlos Lee, 100

SB: Michael Bourn, 33

Pitching Leaders:

INN: Roy Oswalt, 141 1/3

Wins: Roy Oswalt, 10

ERA: Wandy Rodriguez, 3.89

Strikeouts: Roy Oswalt, 116

Saves: Jose Valverde, 30

Bottom Line:The Astros are the hottest team in baseball, going 16-4 in their last 20 games, and 21-9 in their last 30. The problem is, they play in arguably the best division in baseball, and sit in 4th place despite their recent hot streak. At the All-Star break, Houston was in last place in their division at 44-51. The strange thing is that they’ve only made up one game in the standings, and still trail by 12 games, and are 7.5 games back in the Wild Card standings.

Slugger Lance Berkman has had a tremendous season. He’s currently in the top 5 in the National League in batting, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, hits, total bases, doubles, and walks. He leads the league in runs scored and slugging percentage. Outfielder Carlos Lee has also been great for Houston, but he’s currently on the shelf after having surgery on a fractured finger, and is out for the year. 2007 super-rookie Hunter Pence has had a bit of a sophomore slump, as his batting average has fallen from .322 last season, to just .268 this season.

Pitching has been a problem for much of the year with the Astros. They rank 12th in the NL, with a 4.48 team ERA. It is the highest ERA of any team with a winning record in the league. Roy Oswalt continues to be the staff’s ace, but he hasn’t quite put up Roy Oswalt-type numbers. His ERA is currently 4.52. His previous career-high in that department was 3.49 in 2004. He is 3-0 with a 4.32 ERA since the All-Star break. Wandy Rodriguez and Brian Moehler have been decent surprises for manager Cecil Cooper. They have combined to go 15-8 in 36 starts this season. Middle relief has been strong with Geoff Geary and Tim Byrdak, who have both posted sub-3.00 ERAs this season. Diamondback fans are very familiar with the Astros closer, Jose Valverde, who led the NL with 47 saves last year in Arizona. Since being dealt to the ‘Stros in the deal that brought the D-Backs Chad Qualls and Chris Burke, Valverde has continued to post numbers. His ERA is a bit on the high side (4.23), but he has converted 30 of 36 save opportunities.

Houston’s Pitchers vs. Arizona

Tonight: Wandy Rodriguez (2008: 7-4, 3.89 ERA; career vs. Diamondbacks: 2-2, 4.50 ERA)

Saturday: Brandon Backe (2008: 7-11, 5.14 ERA; career vs. Diamondbacks: 0-0, 9.00 ERA)

Sunday: Roy Oswalt (2008: 10-8, 4.52 ERA; career vs. Diamondbacks: 6-1, 2.57 ERA)

Arizona Diamondbacks (62-59, 1st place in NL West, tied with Los Angeles)

Manager: Bob Melvin (4th year with Diamondbacks, 305-303)

Offensive Leaders:

AVG: Conor Jackson, .306

Runs: Mark Reynolds, 74

Hits: Stephen Drew, 128

HR: Mark Reynolds, 24

RBI: Mark Reynolds, 80

SB: Chris Young, 9

Pitching Leaders:

INN: Brandon Webb, 169

Wins: Brandon Webb, 17

ERA: Brandon Webb, 2.88

Strikeouts: Dan Haren, 156

Saves: Brandon Lyon, 25

Bottom Line: Well, the first series with Adam Dunn was a success for the Diamondbacks. Dunn went 3 for 12 against the Rockies with 2 rbis in Colorado. It wasn’t all rosy for the new Arizona slugger though, as he grounded out with the bases loaded and two outs in the 9th inning Wednesday night in a 6-5 loss. And on Thursday, Dunn bobbled a ball in right field and was charged an error, adding fuel to the Adam Dunn’s got an iron glove theory. The most important thing is that the Diamondbacks did take 2 of 3 in the Mile High City. With the Dodgers breathing down their necks, the Diamondbacks have yet to relinquish first place. The Dodgers have tied the D-Backs on a handful of occasions, but have yet to hold on to first place by themselves. Stephen Drew continues to hit the ball well as of late, and his hitting streak has reached 16 games.

Arizona’s pitchers vs. Houston:

Tonight: Brandon Webb (2008: 17-4, 2.88 ERA; career vs. Astros: 4-1, 1.75 ERA)

Saturday: Yusmeiro Petit (2008: 1-3, 3.12 ERA; career vs. Astros: 0-0, 21.60 ERA)

Sunday: Randy Johnson (2008: 10-8, 4.18 ERA; career vs. Astros: 4-0, 3.60 ERA)

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