Rays at Astros
Tuesday's opener of a three-game series between the Tampa Bay Rays and host Houston Astros could be an American League Division series preview but will also be a matchup of Cy Young Award contenders. Houston's Justin Verlander - the favorite to win his second Cy Young - faces Charlie Morton, who won 29 games with the Astros in 2017-18 and defeated them in his first start with Tampa Bay.
“I know I had a real special experience over there, and those guys are important to me,” Morton, who won a World Series in 2017, told reporters about his return to Houston. “It’s always been a special place, Minute Maid (Park). There are guys over there I’m still friends with. I’ll just have to be pitching against them now.” The first-place Astros boast a nine-game lead on Oakland in the AL West while the Rays are tied with the Athletics for the final wild card spot - one-half game behind Cleveland. "I wouldn’t say our backs are against the wall, but we know we need to play better,” Tampa Bay's Kevin Kiermaier, who left Sunday's 8-3 loss at Baltimore with a rib contusion and is day-to-day, told reporters. “... And now we are going to have to win a series in Houston against a great ballclub there. We are fully capable of it, and it would be a great time for us to beat a really good playoff team late in the season." The Rays won three of four from Houston in a season-opening series at Tropicana Field with Verlander winning the first game.
TV: 8:10 p.m. ET, FS Sun (Tampa Bay), AT&T SportsNet Southwest (Houston)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Rays RH Charlie Morton (13-5, 2.85 ERA) vs. Astros RH Justin Verlander (15-5, 2.77)
Morton received a no-decision after allowing three runs, four hits and two walks with three strikeouts over five innings of Tampa Bay's 7-6 victory over Seattle on Wednesday. The 35-year-old New Jersey native is 3-3 with a 4.10 ERA in eight starts since the All-Star Game compared with a 2.32 ERA prior to the break. Houston's Martin Maldonado is 7-for-13 with four walks against Morton, who is 4-5 with a 5.74 ERA in 10 outings against the Astros.
Verlander retired 27 of the 29 batters he faced but allowed two solo home runs in a 2-1 loss to Detroit on Wednesday, extending his winless streak to three starts (0-1) - all Houston losses. The 36-year-old Virginia native's first complete game of the season came with 11 strikeouts as he extended his franchise record of consecutive double-digit strikeout games to seven. Tampa Bay outfielder Austin Meadows went deep in the season opener versus Verlander, who is 9-4 with a 3.30 ERA in 19 starts against the Rays.
WALK-OFFS
1. Houston LF Michael Brantley, whose .338 average leads baseball, boasts an 18-game hitting streak during which he's batting .458 with three home runs, 17 RBIs and 21 runs scored.
2. Meadows (.280) is 10-for-29 with three home runs, nine RBIs and five runs scored during a seven-game hitting streak.
3. The Astros (85-47) need to play .500 baseball the rest of the season with only nine of 30 games against clubs with winning records to secure their third straight 100-win season.