Astros at Angels
The Houston Astros found their offense South of the Border while launching five home runs in the series opener and look to complete a two-game sweep of the Los Angeles Angels on Sunday at Estadio de Beisbol Monterrey in Mexico. Alex Bregman went deep twice to snap out of a slump and Michael Brantley recorded four RBIs in Saturday’s 14-2 victory after the Astros were held to fewer than three runs in three of their previous four games.
Brantley is 9-for-21 while hitting safely in five straight games, Carlos Correa registered a single to extend his hitting streak to 14 games - one shy of his career high - and George Springer became the first Astro to reach 10 homers in Saturday’s victory. Former American League MVP Justin Verlander will go for his fifth victory of the season when he takes the mound for the Astros in the series finale while Los Angeles counters with Matt Harvey, who will try to continue his upswing. Slugger Albert Pujols belted a solo homer for one of the Angels’ two runs and moved within one of joining Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth and Alex Rodriguez as the only players in major-league history to reach 2,000 RBIs - according to MLB.com. Two-time AL MVP Mike Trout was 0-for-4 in the series opener to drop his batting average to .299 after registering two hits in three of his previous four contests for Los Angeles, which had won six of seven before Saturday’s defeat.
TV: 4:10 p.m. ET, ESPN, AT&T SportsNet-Southwest (Houston), FS West (Los Angeles)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Astros RH Justin Verlander (4-1, 2.45 ERA) vs. Angels RH Matt Harvey (1-2, 6.54)
Verlander suffered his first loss of the season last time out at Minnesota despite limiting the Twins to one run and two hits with seven strikeouts over six innings. The 36-year-old Virginian has given up exactly one run in four straight trips to the mound and struck out 34 across 27 innings during that stretch. Pujols is 10-for-36 with two homers versus Verlander, who was 4-1 with a 1.83 ERA in six starts against the Angels last year.
Harvey has been much improved in his last two starts, holding the Yankees to two runs over six innings in a no-decision before beating Kansas City with seven frames of one-run ball. The 30-year-old native of Connecticut gave up 21 runs over 18 2/3 innings in his first four trips to the mound this season. Jose Altuve is 2-for-2 against Harvey, who was pounded for seven runs across two innings in his lone career start versus Houston.
WALK-OFFS
1. Los Angeles SS Andrelton Simmons recorded a double on Saturday to extend his hitting streak to 10 games (15-for-40).
2. Houston MGR A.J. Hinch posted his 393rd victory on Saturday to move past Art Howe for third place on the franchise list.
3. Angels OF Kole Calhoun is 4-for-9 with a homer, a double, two walks and three RBIs in his last three contests.