My apologies for getting this up a bit later than normal, but following yesterday's offensive tour de force, today should be a pretty good pitching duel. 

Shaun Marcum (2-1, 1.90) has been just about everything the Brewers could have hoped for so far this season as he currently sports a 2.89 FIP through four starts.  He is on nearly the exact same pace as 2009 as far as strikeouts with a 7.61 K/9.  The only problem is that he has been allowing a much higher rate of walks compared to last season (3.04 BB/9 in 2011, compared to 1.98 in 2010).  Still, though, that number isn't exactly extraordinarily high.  In his career, Marcum has faced just two current Astros players.  Joe Inglett has a walk in four plate appearances, and Bill Hall has hit .714/.714/2.143 in seven plate appearances.

Brett Myers (1-0, 2.39) has also had very good success this season, though his FIP of 4.84 might indicate he has gotten a bit lucky.  His strikeout rate is down by almost three K's per nine innings compared to his career numbers, though his walk rate is right around where it has been the past few years.

According to Texas Leaguers, Myers throws six different types of pitches: A slider, a cutter, a curve, a four seamer, a changeup and a sinker.  His fastest pitches average around 87 MPH while he brings his curveball down to around 75 MPH.  He has faced five Brewers ten or more times in his career.  Of them, Prince Fielder has had the most success, with a .267/.353/.867 line.

Here are tonights lineups:

Brewers

Counsell 4
Gomez 8
Braun 7
Fielder 3
McGehee 5
Kotsay 9
Betancourt 6
Lucroy 2
Marcum 1

Astros

Bourn 8
Sanchez 6
Pence 9
Lee 7
Wallace 3
Hall 4
Johnson 5
Quintero 2
Myers 1

In the bullpen, the only pitchers to have been used the past two days are Latroy Hawkins, Marco Rivera and Sean Green, all of whom pitched an inning last night.  The rest of the bullpen should be ready and raring to go.