Astros at Rangers
The Texas Rangers have posted back-to-back victories over American League division leaders after losing six of their previous seven games. The club looks to make it three in a row when it hosts the AL West-leading Houston Astros on Friday for the second contest of their four-game series.
Texas salvaged the finale of its three-game set versus AL Central-leading Minnesota right before the All-Star break and returned from the hiatus to post a 5-0 triumph over Houston in Thursday's series opener. Rougned Odor recorded two doubles and drove in a pair of runs to give him 11 RBIs over his last five contests for the Rangers, who are 2 1/2 games out of the second wild-card spot in the AL. Houston was limited to six singles and a double in its first contest out of the break but still owns a seven-game lead over Oakland in the West. George Springer is 5-for-11 in his last two contests after going 2-for-4 on Thursday for the Astros, who had won seven of eight after being outscored 24-2 in back-to-back defeats against Pittsburgh.
TV: 8:05 p.m. ET, AT&T SportsNet Southwest (Houston), FS Southwest (Texas)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Astros RH Gerrit Cole (9-5, 3.09 ERA) vs. Rangers RH Jesse Chavez (3-4, 3.30)
Cole is riding an eight-start unbeaten streak during which he has gone 5-0 with a 1.76 ERA and 70 strikeouts over 51 innings. The 28-year-old Californian, who leads the AL with 170 strikeouts, has not lost since May 22 when he surrendered six runs and seven hits over five innings against the Chicago White Sox. Cole has posted a 4-2 record and 3.72 ERA in eight career starts versus the Rangers after winning one of three outings against them earlier this season.
Chavez will be making his fourth consecutive start and eighth overall this year after losing each of the last two, including a setback at Minnesota on Saturday in which he yielded five runs over as many innings. The only turn of the season the 35-year-old took at home occurred when he served as an "opener" against Seattle on May 22, when he gave up one hit in 1 2/3 frames. Chavez has made nine starts and 24 relief appearances versus Houston in his career, going 3-2 with a 3.63 ERA.
WALK-OFFS
1. The Astros figure to have 3B Alex Bregman in the lineup on Friday after the All-Star exited the series opener in the third inning with a chin laceration he suffered while being struck by a hard ground ball.
2. Thursday's game was the first of a stretch during which Texas plays seven of nine versus the Astros.
3. Houston recalled LHP Framber Valdez, who started Thursday's game and surrendered four runs on four hits and three walks while recording only two outs, from Triple-A Round Rock.