Cueto vs. Astros Hitting<\/strong><\/p>\nAn impressive string of starts has erased the slump Cueto experienced at the beginning of June. In Cueto\u2019s last six starts, he has gone 3-1 with a 1.16 ERA. His strikeout to walk ratio during that stretch is pretty bad (19K\u2019s\/18BB\u2019s), but he\u2019s been able to pitch himself out of jams, and there\u2019s something to be said about that.<\/p>\n
If you\u2019re looking for a solid\u00a0sports bet, bet that Cueto will struggle against the Astros. In seven starts he\u2019s 0-4 with a 5.22 ERA. Individually, Lance Berkman is hitting .385 (5-for-13) with 2 HR\u2019s and 6 RBI\u2019s off of Cueto. Michael Bourne is 5-for-14 with 4 RBI\u2019s and two doubles. Even his pitching counterpart, Roy Oswalt, has success with the bat against Cueto (3-for-8, 1 RBI). The way things are going this year Cueto may finally be able to break this spell, but if history is any indication he\u2019s in for a long day.<\/p>\n
Oswalt vs. Reds Hitting<\/strong><\/p>\nIt\u2019s unknown if Roy Oswalt will even be making this start, since he is a big commodity on the trade market, and has been heavily pursued by both St. Louis and Philadelphia. Don\u2019t let his 6-11 record fool you; he would be a major acquisition for any team that wants him. He has 117 strikeouts as opposed to just 33 walks, and his 1.07 WHIP is over .10 under his career average. He\u2019s having a stellar year playing for one of the worst teams in the National League.