Decisive factors for Astros in series opener against Phillies
ASTROS-PHILLIES PREVIEW
26 August
The Phillies host the Astros on Monday night. Photo by Logan Riely/Getty Images.
Houston Astros (70-60, first in the AL West) vs. Philadelphia Phillies (76-54, first in the NL East)
Philadelphia; Monday, 6:40 p.m. EDT
PITCHING PROBABLES: Astros: Ronel Blanco (9-6, 3.14 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, 136 strikeouts); Phillies: Zack Wheeler (12-6, 2.73 ERA, 0.98 WHIP, 170 strikeouts)
BETMGM SPORTSBOOK: LINE Phillies -161, Astros +137; over/under is 8 runs
BOTTOM LINE: The Philadelphia Phillies play the Houston Astros after Garrett Stubbs had four hits against the Royals on Sunday.
Philadelphia is 76-54 overall and 42-23 in home games. The Phillies have the third-ranked team batting average in the NL at .259.
Houston has a 70-60 record overall and a 35-31 record on the road. The Astros have the ninth-best team on-base percentage in MLB play at .321.
Monday’s game is the first time these teams meet this season.
2022 World Series rematch
Bregman 3B
Alvarez LF
Diaz C
Peña SS
Singleton DH
Caratini 1B
Gamel RF
Meyers CF
Whitcomb 2B
— Brian McTaggart (@brianmctaggart) August 26, 2024
TOP PERFORMERS: Kyle Schwarber leads the Phillies with 28 home runs while slugging .471. Trea Turner is 14-for-43 with three doubles, a home run and seven RBI over the last 10 games.
Jose Altuve has 22 doubles and 18 home runs for the Astros. Alex Bregman is 13-for-44 with two doubles and six home runs over the past 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Phillies: 6-4, .298 batting average, 3.21 ERA, outscored opponents by 25 runs
Astros: 5-5, .266 batting average, 2.97 ERA, outscored opponents by nine runs
INJURIES: Phillies: Spencer Turnbull: 60-Day IL (back), Luis Ortiz: 60-Day IL (ankle), Dylan Covey: 60-Day IL (shoulder)
Astros: Yordan Alvarez: day-to-day (neck), J.P. France: 60-Day IL (undisclosed), Ryan Pressly: 15-Day IL (back), Kyle Tucker: 60-Day IL (shin), Cristian Javier: 60-Day IL (forearm), Jose Urquidy: 60-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)
Dylan Cease pitched brilliantly into the ninth inning and Manny Machado, Fernando Tatis Jr. and Donovan Solano hit consecutive homers in the eighth for the San Diego Padres, who beat the AL West-leading Houston Astros 4-0 on Wednesday.
Machado homered twice for the Padres, who won two of three against the Astros and stayed two games ahead of Arizona for the first NL wild card. The Astros came in with a five-game division lead over Seattle.
Cease (14-11), who threw his first career no-hitter on July 25 at Washington, took a one-hitter into the ninth before Mauricio Dubón beat out an infield single to shortstop. Cease struck out Jake Meyers but then shortstop Xander Bogaerts booted Jose Altuve's grounder for an error that allowed Dubón to take third, and that was it for the right-hander after 103 pitches.
Cease retired the first 15 Astros batters before allowing a single to right field by Jason Heyward to open the sixth. Cease then retired the side.
Cease struck out five and walked none. Tanner Scott got two outs for his 21st save.
Machado, who has 29 homers, lined a shot to left-center off Framber Valdez opening the sixth.
Tatis, who struck out in his first three at-bats, hit reliever Kaleb Ort's first pitch into the first row in left-center leading off the eighth. It was his 19th. Machado followed with a shot deep into the seats in left and Solano hit a liner to left, his seventh. That was it for Ort, who threw just nine pitches.
Valdez (14-7) went seven innings, allowing one run and five hits while striking out six and walking two.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Padres: 1B/DH Luis Arraez got the day off to rest his sore left knee, which he jammed into home plate while being thrown out on Monday night. Arraez started at DH on Tuesday night.
UP NEXT
Astros: LHP Yusei Kikuchi (9-9, 4.29 ERA) is scheduled to start Thursday night in the opener of a four-game home series against the Los Angeles Angels, who will go with LHP José Suarez (1-2, 6.80).
Padres: Hadn't announced their starter for Friday night's home series opener against the Chicago White Sox.
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