Astros at Orioles
The Houston Astros are without peer in the American League West and are tied with the New York Yankees for the best record in the AL after stretching their current winning streak to seven straight with a 3-2 win over the Baltimore Orioles on Friday. The Astros will try to make it eight in a row when they visit the Orioles for the second of a three-game series on Saturday.
Houston sits 10 games ahead of the second-place Oakland Athletics in the West and is racking up wins through a weak patch of schedule that will see it play 18 of 22 against team with losing records through Aug. 25. The Astros began that stretch with series sweeps of the Seattle Mariners and Colorado Rockies before coming to Baltimore, where the offense struggled to 2-for-13 with runners in scoring position but the pitching staff carried the team to another victory. The Orioles served up 32 runs to the New York Yankees while dropping three in a row earlier this week but at least got a better effort from the staff on Friday, with Dylan Bundy going six solid innings to help a weary relief corps. Baltimore will try to coax a quality start out of right-hander Aaron Brooks on Saturday while Houston righty Aaron Sanchez tries to follow up a dazzling team debut last time out.
TV: 7:05 p.m. ET, AT&T Sportsnet Southwest (Houston), MASN 2 (Baltimore)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Astros RH Aaron Sanchez (4-14, 5.76 ERA) vs. Orioles RH Aaron Brooks (2-5, 5.45)
Sanchez was one of two starting pitchers acquired by Houston at the trade deadline but was the less heralded of the two behind former Cy Young Award winner Zack Greinke. Sanchez quickly proved his worth to the team by striking out six over six no-hit innings to start a combined no-hitter against the Seattle Mariners last Saturday. The 27-year-old did not complete six innings in any of his final nine starts for the Toronto Blue Jays, including a five-inning stint against Baltimore on July 5 in which he surrendered two runs on three hits and four walks to suffer a loss.
Brooks is still looking for his first win since being acquired from the Oakland Athletics last month and was ripped for a total of 14 runs - 13 earned - and 21 hits in 13 2/3 innings over his last three starts. The 29-year-old served up a total of 15 home runs in 69 1/3 innings this season, including one in a loss to the Toronto Blue Jays last time out. Brooks faced Houston when he was with Oakland on April 6 and allowed five runs on nine hits - two homers - to suffer a loss.
WALK-OFFS
1. Astros RHP Ryan Pressly (knee) tossed a scoreless inning Friday in his return from the IL.
2. Baltimore 1B Chris Davis appeared as a pinch hitter on Friday and went 0-for-2 following a public altercation with manager Brandon Hyde on Wednesday.
3. Houston 3B Alex Bregman doubled in each of the last four games and scored eight runs in that span.