Houston Astros aim to rebound in crucial Game 2 against Giants
ASTROS PREVIEW
11 June
Ronel Blanco is on the bump for Houston Tuesday night. Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images.
Houston Astros (30-37, third in the AL West) vs. San Francisco Giants (33-34, third in the NL West)
San Francisco; Tuesday, 9:45 p.m. EDT
PITCHING PROBABLES: Astros: Ronel Blanco (5-2, 2.78 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, 59 strikeouts); Giants: Jordan Hicks (4-2, 2.82 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, 59 strikeouts)
BETMGM SPORTSBOOK: LINE Astros -113, Giants -107; over/under is 7 1/2 runs
BOTTOM LINE: The San Francisco Giants play the Houston Astros with a 1-0 series lead.
San Francisco has a 33-34 record overall and an 18-14 record at home. The Giants have hit 64 total home runs to rank eighth in the NL.
Houston is 13-19 on the road and 30-37 overall. The Astros are 15-29 in games when they have allowed at least one home run.
Tuesday’s game is the second meeting between these teams this season.
TOP PERFORMERS: Matt Chapman leads San Francisco with eight home runs while slugging .407. Heliot Ramos is 13-for-38 with four home runs and 10 RBI over the last 10 games.
Alex Bregman has 12 doubles, a triple, nine home runs and 31 RBI for the Astros. Yordan Alvarez is 15-for-39 with four doubles, a triple and four home runs over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Giants: 4-6, .235 batting average, 4.49 ERA, outscored by eight runs
Astros: 5-5, .264 batting average, 3.63 ERA, outscored opponents by nine runs
INJURIES: Giants: Blake Snell: 15-Day IL (groin), Marco Luciano: 10-Day IL (undisclosed), LaMonte Wade Jr: 10-Day IL (hamstring), Jung Hoo Lee: 60-Day IL (labrum), Tom Murphy: 60-Day IL (head), Nick Ahmed: 10-Day IL (wrist), Alex Cobb: 60-Day IL (hip), Ethan Small: 60-Day IL (oblique), Austin Warren: 60-Day IL (elbow), Tristan Beck: 60-Day IL (arm), Robbie Ray: 60-Day IL (elbow)
Astros: Kyle Tucker: 10-Day IL (shin), Jose Urquidy: 60-Day IL (forearm), Spencer Arrighetti: day-to-day (calf), Cristian Javier: 15-Day IL (forearm), Oliver Ortega: 60-Day IL (elbow), Bennett Sousa: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Penn Murfee: 60-Day IL (elbow), Luis Garcia: 60-Day IL (elbow), Lance McCullers Jr.: 60-Day IL (elbow), Kendall Graveman: 60-Day IL (elbow)
How Houston Astros last glimmers of hope can provide decisive edge over stretch run
Jun 17, 2024, 7:34 pm
The Houston Astros are coming off a big series win over the Tigers, as they head to Chicago to take on the White Sox Tuesday night. Unfortunately for Houston, even with the series win, they still lost ground to the division leading Mariners.
With the Astros nine games behind Seattle, and seven games behind the Twins in the Wild Card standings, time is running out for the club if they want to make a push before the All Star break and trade deadline.
Basically, the entire season is riding on this next stretch of games. But it won't come easy, even against weaker opponents. Justin Verlander is dealing with neck discomfort, missing his last start over the weekend, and Spencer Arrighetti was rocked by the Tigers on Saturday.
With no starting pitching ready to make the jump from Sugar Land to the big league club, Houston's five starting pitchers have no room for error.
And while the offense has been inconsistent this season, especially with runners on base, they do sport the sixth-best OPS in baseball.
If they're going to get back into this thing, a healthy Kyle Tucker and Verlander will have to be part of the equation. Tucker is still recovering from a bruised shin, and will have to make some rehab starts in the minors before returning.
Verlander, however, may return as soon as this week against the White Sox or Orioles. If JV returns and Blanco and Brown continue dealing, hopefully the club can fight their way back to .500.
But keep in mind, some key players are showing regression. Jake Meyers, Jeremy Pena, and Jon Singleton are not swinging the bats well right now. And Chas McCormick hasn't gotten going all season.
At some point, the club needs to give Joey Loperfido a chance to prove himself in the big leagues.
What do they have to lose?
Be sure to check out the video above as we discuss this critical stretch of games on the horizon for Houston, and much more!
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