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The Houston Astros' dismal season is on the verge of officially becoming one of the worst in franchise history.
Houston looks to avoid tying the club record for losses when it continues its three-game set against the Washington Nationals on Saturday night in the nation's capital.
The Astros (48-96) fell 4-3 in 11 innings Friday when substitute infielder Jimmy Paredes' throwing error allowed Ryan Zimmerman to score the winning run.
"They are growing pains, but at the same time you need to go through it," manager Brad Mills said. "We can talk him through it and go from there."
It was another tough loss for Houston, which has dropped six of seven and will tie the franchise record with its next defeat. The Astros also lost 97 games in 1965, 1975 and 1991.
Wandy Rodriguez (10-10, 3.47 ERA) will be on the mound looking to help delay that record-tying defeat.
Rodriguez has pitched well of late, going 3-2 with a 2.77 ERA while averaging a strikeout per inning in his last six starts. He struck out eight while allowing three runs in six innings of a 4-0 loss to the Brewers on Sunday.
The left-hander is 4-1 in eight starts against Washington despite a 4.98 ERA.
Rodriguez may look for some support from Carlos Lee. The veteran has hit safely in 17 of 18 games while batting .386. He also has at least one hit in 30 of his last 33 contests versus the Nationals, hitting .397 with seven homers and 29 RBIs.
Lee is 7 for 17 with two homers and two doubles lifetime off Washington scheduled starter John Lannan (9-11, 3.48), who is looking for some offensive help himself.
Lannan got more run support in the first inning Monday (four) than he did through his entire four-start losing streak, beating Los Angeles 7-2 after allowing one run through 5 1-3 innings. The left-hander had a 3.43 ERA during his skid but received only three runs of support in 21 innings.
"It's always a little bit of a comfort when you can go out there and just try and get ahead knowing that you have a lead," Lannan said following his first victory since Aug. 2.
He'll look to end a three-start winless streak versus the Astros after going 0-2 with a 4.91 ERA against them the past two seasons.
Friday marked the fourth win in 16 games for Washington (66-76), which scored at least four runs for only the sixth time in that span.
Jayson Werth, whose infield single forced Paredes' wild throw, is hitting .346 over his last 12 games against Houston. His previous two hits in a 3-for-21 slump over the last six games were home runs.
"No more difficult than the rest of the year. For whatever reason, I mentioned in Milwaukee (in May) that things need to change. I kind of got into trouble for saying that," Werth said. "Here we are - many months later - and we still have to drive in runs. Essentially, things still need to change."
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