SERIES PREVIEW
Astros-Rangers series breakdown: Take care of business
Sep 15, 2020, 11:52 am
SERIES PREVIEW
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.
Two first-place teams, identical records, and a weekend set with serious measuring-stick energy.
The Houston Astros and Chicago Cubs open a three-game series Friday night at Daikin Park, in what could quietly be one of the more telling matchups of the summer. Both teams enter at 48-33, each atop their respective divisions — but trending in slightly different directions.
The Astros have been red-hot, going 7-3 over their last 10 while outscoring opponents by 11 runs. They've done it behind one of the best pitching staffs in baseball, with a collective 3.41 ERA that ranks second in the American League. Houston has also been dominant at home, where they’ve compiled a 30-13 record — a stat that looms large heading into this weekend.
On the other side, the Cubs have held their ground in the NL Central but have shown some recent shakiness. They're 5-5 over their last 10 games and have given up 5.66 runs per game over that stretch. Still, the offense remains dangerous, ranking fifth in on-base percentage across the majors. Kyle Tucker leads the way with a .287 average, 16 homers, and 49 RBIs, while Michael Busch has been hot of late, collecting 12 hits in his last 37 at-bats.
Friday’s pitching matchup features Houston’s Brandon Walter (0-1, 3.80 ERA, 1.10 WHIP) and Chicago’s Cade Horton (3-1, 3.73 ERA, 1.29 WHIP), a promising young arm making one of his biggest starts of the season on the road. Horton will have his hands full with Isaac Paredes, who’s slugged 16 homers on the year, and Mauricio Dubón, who’s found a groove with four home runs over his last 10 games.
It’s the first meeting of the season between these two clubs — and if the trends continue, it may not be the last time they cross paths when it really counts.
BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Astros -112, Cubs -107; over/under is 8 1/2 runs
Here's a preview of Joe Espada's Game 1 lineup.
The first thing that stands out is rookie Cam Smith is hitting cleanup, followed by Jake Meyers. Victor Caratini is the DH and is hitting sixth. Christian Walker is all the way down at seventh, followed by Yainer Diaz, and Taylor Trammell who is playing left field.
How the mighty have fallen.
Pretty wild to see Walker and Diaz hitting this low in the lineup. However, it's justified, based on performance. Walker is hitting a pathetic .214 and Diaz is slightly better sporting a .238 batting average.
Screenshot via: MLB.com
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