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--RHP Ramon Ramirez makes his fourth major league start Wednesday in Houston, his first start against the Astros. He is 1-0 with a 2.45 ERA in four appearances overall, and the team is 3-0 in his three starts.
--LHP Bill Bray has given up only two earned runs in his last 16 appearances. He has a 1.93 ERA in that stretch after retiring the only Astros batter he faced Tuesday.
--SS Jeff Keppinger is hitting .360 over his last 25 at-bats, trying to rescue his season. Prior to the late rally, Keppinger had been hitting .227 (61-for-269) since coming off the disabled list in late June after recovering from a broken kneecap. He hit .324 before suffering the injury.
--RF Jay Bruce, who had missed two games with a sore right hand, returned to the lineup and went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts.
BY THE NUMBERS: 7 -- One-run games the Reds played in a row in mid-September. They went 5-2 and are 26-19 this season in one-run games.
QUOTE TO NOTE: "The only way to learn how to play and win one-run games is to play in them and when you learn that, you become a contender, because contenders always are top-heavy with one-run wins." -- Manager Dusty Baker.
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