SERIES PREVIEW
Astros-Rangers series breakdown: Take care of business
Sep 15, 2020, 11:52 am
Composite photo by Brandon Strange
Probable starters
Tues, Sept. 15 - TEX: Kyle Cody (0-1, 0.93) vs. HOU: Jose Urquidy (0-1, 3.72)
Wed, Sept. 16 - TEX: Kyle Gibson (1-5, 6.14) vs. HOU: Lance McCullers Jr. (3-2, 5.79)
Thurs, Sept. 17 - TEX: Jordan Lyles (1-4, 7.80) vs. HOU: Framber Valdez (3-3, 4.08)
Storylines
Take Care of Business: The Astros have been awful on the road, going 7-18 away from Minute Maid Park, but 16-6 in their friendly confines. The Astros have been similarly putrid against above .500 teams, while performing well against below .500 teams. Houston needs that trend to continue if they want to hold onto a playoff spot.
McCullers Returns: Lance McCullers is returning from his stint on the IL. His health will be paramount if the Astros want to make a playoff run. It's a delicate balance, as you don't want to handle him with kid gloves too much, but you don't want to risk injury to him again.
Streaky Seattle: Seattle sits just 1.5 GB of the Astros for 2nd place in the AL West after they ripped off a six game winning streak while the Astros struggled on their West coast road swing. The pressure is on Houston to fend off the Mariners.
Prediction
Jose Urquidy, Lance McCullers, and Framber Valdez are three quality MLB arms. Combine the ideal starting pitching matchups with a return to Minute Maid Park, and the Astros sweep the Rangers.
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Oswald Peraza hit a two-run single in the ninth inning to help the Los Angeles Angels snap a three-game losing skid by beating the Houston Astros 4-1 on Saturday night.
Peraza entered the game as a defensive replacement in the seventh inning and hit a bases-loaded fly ball to deep right field that eluded the outstretched glove of Cam Smith. It was the fourth straight hit off Astros closer Bryan Abreu (3-4), who had not allowed a run in his previous 12 appearances.
The Angels third run of the ninth inning scored when Mike Trout walked with the bases loaded.
Kyle Hendricks allowed one run while scattering seven hits over six innings. He held the Astros to 1 for 8 with runners in scoring position, the one hit coming on Jesús Sánchez’s third-inning infield single that scored Jeremy Peña.
Reid Detmers worked around a leadoff walk to keep the Astros scoreless in the seventh, and José Fermin (3-2) retired the side in order in the eighth before Kenley Jansen worked a scoreless ninth to earn his 24th save.
Houston’s Spencer Arrighetti struck out a season-high eight batters over 6 1/3 innings. The only hit he allowed was Zach Neto’s third-inning solo home run.
Yordan Alvarez had two hits for the Astros, who remained three games ahead of Seattle for first place in the AL West.
Key moment
Peraza’s two-run single to deep right field that broke a 1-1 tie in the ninth.
Key Stat
Opponents were 5 for 44 against Abreu in August before he allowed four straight hits in the ninth.
Up next
Astros RHP Hunter Brown (10-6, 2.37 ERA) faces RHP José Soriano (9-9, 3.85) when the series continues Sunday.