Grossman excited to play against former team

PITTSBURGH -- It was always the dream of outfielder Robbie Grossman to one day play at PNC Park. He finally got the chance on Friday, even if it was in a different uniform than he originally envisioned.

Grossman, who was acquired by the Astros in last year's trade that sent Wandy Rodriguez to the Pirates, was drafted in the sixth round by the Pirates in 2008 out of Cy-Fair High School in Houston and spent four years in the Pirates organization, reaching Double-A Altoona last year.

"I came up with a lot of those guys in the Minor Leagues and it's cool to see them," Grossman said before Friday night's game. "One of my best buddies in the Minor Leagues is [Pirates outfielder] Starling Marte. We've kept in touch in the offseason and I'm excited for him."

Grossman, who has started all but one of Houston's 22 games since he was called up on April 24, entered Friday hitting .205, but had hit safely in 12 of his last 15 games with a .373 on-base percentage in that span. He was also hitting .316 against left-handed pitchers. And in Friday's 5-4 loss to the Pirates, Grossman went 1-for-4 with a walk and two runs to make it 13 of his last 16 with a hit.