Mike Hampton broke the Astros' losing streak by tossing four scoreless innings in a 2-2 tie against the Washington Nationals Friday in Kissimmee. (Getty Images)
After playing 15 consecutive games since Feb. 25, the Houston Astros desperately needed time away from the baseball diamond and their nine-game losing streak.
The day off Thursday enabled the team to break the momentum and return to work Friday against the Washington Nationals with a new attitude.
Houston has already complied 11 losses, creating strong concern throughout the clubhouse and amongst Astros' personnel.
Two-time All-Star Mike Hampton received the ball with a mission to establish a benchmark for the team. The gritty, competitive Hampton set a positive tone, turning in the best pitching performance by a Houston pitcher this spring.
However, the day off did not seem to jump-start the struggling offense as the game resulted in a 2-2 tie.
Hampton tossed four scoreless innings, striking out four and allowing three hits. In the fourth inning, Hampton pitched his way out of a jam without surrendering a run after left fielder Carlos Lee made a costly error and Nationals' Willy Mo Pena drilled a single.
Second baseman Kaz Matsui led off the bottom of the first with a double and scored the Astros' first run on a Lee groundout. Right fielder Hunter Pence, one of the few offensive bright spots this spring, connected on a fourth-inning solo homer off Nationals' starter Scott Olson.
Houston left-hander Clay Hensley, who continues to pitch his way off an opening-day roster spot, followed Hampton with a scoreless fifth, but gave up a sixth-inning solo home run to Brad Eldred and an RBI single by Alex Cintron in the seventh to tie the game.
Olson kept Washington close, allowing six hits and two earned runs in four innings. The Nationals' relief pitching dominated the Astros' offense with five scoreless innings.
Right now, Houston has more ties than victories and an overall Grapefruit record of 1-11-2. From a pitching standpoint, Hampton gave the Astros an uplifiting performance, but the offense still needs to find an effective balance and break their current slump.
Split-squad action on Saturday will send left-hander Wandy Rodriguez, fresh off his intercostal muscle strain, to Tampa for a matchup against the New York Yankees, while Russ Ortiz gets the home start against 2008 World Series champs Philadelphia Phillies.
Ortiz, a 2003 NL All-Star and non-roster invitee, recognizes a strong performance can distinguish himself as the frontrunner for the final spot in the rotation.
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