Collin McHugh has already put together the best stretch by a Houston Astros' pitcher in 13 years, but he's now aiming to tie the franchise record for the most consecutive winning starts.
McHugh's bid to enter the record books comes in his first meeting with the San Diego Padres on Monday night, with the Astros looking for their eighth victory in nine tries.
McHugh (3-0, 2.41 ERA) lost a sixth straight start in a defeat to Miami on July 27, but he's 10-0 with a 1.91 ERA in 13 starts since - the longest winning streak by an Astro since Wade Miller won 12 decisions in a row from July 7-Sept. 21, 2002.
Prior to his impressive stretch, McHugh was 4-17 with a 5.36 ERA in 30 games - 24 starts - with Houston, Colorado and the New York Mets.
Now, he's trying to tie Roy Oswalt's Astros record of winning nine straight starts set in 2002.
McHugh has a 2.00 ERA in the previous eight victories, and he needed help to keep the streak going Tuesday. The right-hander gave up three runs in four innings before leaving after the seventh only to have the offense rally for five in the eighth for a 6-3 win at Seattle.
"I don't put a whole lot of an emphasis on the winning streak but (Tuesday) was big," McHugh said. "To be able to battle through some innings was tough."
The Astros (11-7) rallied for another victory Sunday. Evan Gattis' two-run double in the top of the ninth to put them ahead for good in a 7-6 win to complete a three-game series sweep at Oakland.
Gattis finished with two hits and four RBIs to match his career high. The catcher was hitting .109 before collecting four hits in two games boosted his average 47 points.
"I'm glad to finally contribute to a win, to come through with the hit that puts us ahead," Gattis said.
That's been a rarity for Houston at San Diego, losing nine of the past 11 games there while batting .199 and averaging 2.1 runs.
Offense may again be at a premium since the Padres (11-9) are countering McHugh with James Shields (2-0, 3.24), who is 2-1 with a 1.74 ERA and 34 strikeouts in 31 innings in four career starts against the Astros.
The right-hander collected 12 strikeouts while allowing one run and four hits in eight innings of a 5-1 win at Houston on April 17, 2014.
Shields has been effective through four starts this season, holding opponents to .215 at the plate and leading the team with 29 strikeouts. He yielded three runs in six innings while not figuring in the decision of a 5-4 loss Wednesday at Colorado.
That was the start of San Diego's four-game slide, which was snapped with Sunday's 3-1 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Despite the victory, the Padres are hitting just .208 and averaging 3.2 runs over the past five games after batting .314 with 8.0 runs per game over the previous four.
Matt Kemp, however, continues to be a consistent threat at the plate, hitting .350 after going 6 for 15 (.400) over the past four games. The right fielder, though, is 0 for 3 versus McHugh.
