Rockies at Astros
The Houston Astros will try to finish off a perfect homestand prior to a long road trip when they cap a two-game series with the visiting Colorado Rockies on Wednesday afternoon. Zack Greinke's debut as an Astro was not a memorable one but the bats picked up the slack as Houston rolled to an 11-6 win in Tuesday's series opener.
Yuri Gurriel homered twice and drove in three runs while two others went deep as the Astros won their fifth straight and their 15th in the last 18 games. Greinke got the win despite allowing five runs in six innings and Houston will hope for some better results on the mound Wednesday behind Gerrit Cole, who has won nine decisions in a row. The Rockies received a three-run shot from Raimel Tapia and a solo blast from Charlie Blackmon in Tuesday's loss, their third in as many tries against the Astros this year. Colorado turns to rookie right-hander Peter Lambert on Wednesday as it seeks a series split.
TV: 2:10 p.m. ET, AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain (Colorado), AT&T SportsNet Southwest (Houston)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Rockies RH Peter Lambert (2-2, 5.71 ERA) vs. Astros RH Gerrit Cole (13-5, 2.87)
The Rockies had lost seven straight starts made by Lambert before he helped them to a victory over San Francisco on Friday with six innings of four-run ball. He has a 3.63 ERA in four road starts, compared to 7.28 at home. One of those rocky home outings was against Houston on July 3, when the 22-year-old gave up four runs in five frames while suffering his first career loss.
Cole has won four straight starts while allowing one run over seven innings each time, including a triumph at Cleveland on Thursday. The majors' leader in strikeouts with 216, Cole has yielded two earned runs or fewer in seven consecutive home starts. Nolan Arenado is 8-for-17 with a pair of home runs versus the UCLA product, who is 4-1 with a 2.39 ERA in six career starts against the Rockies.
WALK-OFFS
1. Astros LF Michael Brantley is 5-for-10 with six RBIs over the last two games.
2. Rockies SS Trevor Story is 7-for-19 with five RBIs and six runs scored during a five-game hitting streak.
3. Houston has won 11 of the last 13 meetings.