Tigers at Astros
Gerrit Cole returns to the mound for the first time since Aug. 7 when the Houston Astros conclude their three-game series against the visiting Detroit Tigers on Thursday. Cole was sidelined with a hamstring injury that caused him to be scratched from a start against the Chicago White Sox on Aug. 13 shortly before first pitch.
The 28-year-old Cole has won 10 straight decisions since falling to the White Sox on May 22. The Astros have been in a bit of a funk lately as Wednesday's 2-1 setback marked the club's sixth loss in nine contests. Detroit halted its four-game slide as it won for just the third time in 11 games when John Hicks belted a tie-breaking, ninth-inning homer off former Tigers ace Justin Verlander. Ronny Rodriguez launched a shot in the fifth inning for the Tigers' only other hit of the game.
TV: 8:10 p.m. ET, FS Detroit, AT&T SportsNet-Southwest (Houston)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Tigers RH Jordan Zimmermann (1-8, 6.66 ERA) vs. Astros RH Gerrit Cole (14-5, 2.87)
Zimmermann returned from the injured list to allow just one hit over five scoreless innings while settling for a no-decision against Tampa Bay. The 33-year-old missed one start and underwent a nerve blocking injection in an attempt to alleviate the pain he often feels in his neck and back. Zimmerman is 2-4 with a 3.51 ERA in eight career starts against Houston.
Cole ranks second in the major leagues with 226 strikeouts, trailing only teammate Verlander (239). The UCLA product has won five straight starts, allowing just six runs and 20 hits over 34 innings during that stretch. Cole is 4-1 with a 2.65 ERA in six career turns against the Tigers.
WALK-OFFS
1. The Astros placed SS Carlos Correa (back) and RHP Aaron Sanchez (chest) on the 10-day injured list while recalling INF-OF Myles Straw and RHP Cy Sneed from Triple-A Round Rock.
2. The top five hitters in Detroit's lineup combined to go 0-for-17 without reaching base on Wednesday.
3. Houston C Robinson Chirinos went 4-for-4 with a homer on Wednesday but was thrown out at third base to end the game as he attempted to stretch a double into a triple that would have given him the cycle.