Home weekend with the Rockies

Craig Biggio was not hit by a pitch last night, but he did go 2-5 with a home run, and he seems to be trying to see how far apart he can get his home/road batting splits. Biggio's home batting average is currently 71% better than his road average (.349 to .204), and his home Slugging% is better than twice his road Slugging% (.602 to .296). The widest previous gap in Biggio's home/road numbers came in 1991 when he batted .343 at home and .245 on the road, while slugging .437 at home and .309 on the road. Despite all that, Biggio has been plunked twice on the road and once at home. The largest gap between his home/road plunk splits came in 2003, when he was hit 18 times on the road and 9 times at home. The largest gap in the home direction came in 1998 and 1996 when he was hit 7 times more at home than on the road (15 to 8 in 1998 and 17 to 10 in 1996).

Today, the Astros will face Colorado starter Aaron Cook, who will undoubtedly be looking to join the long list of Rockies pitchers who have plunked Biggio more than once. He hit Biggio with a pitch on April 20, 2003, and a plunk today would allow him to join Armando Reynoso as the only pitchers who have hit Biggio with a pitch on May 13th. Reynoso's May 13th plunk came in 1997.

Tomorrow, the Colorado starter will be Jeff Francis. Francis has never hit Craig Biggio with a pitch, but is off to a solid start this year with 4 hit batters. Jaime Navarro hit Craig Biggio with a pitch on May 14, 1996.

Biggio has been plunked twice on Mother's Day, by Vicente Padilla of the Phillies in 2003, and by Steve Woodward of the Brewers in 1998.