The Houston Astros look rejuvenated after the MLB All-Star break, starting the second half of the season on a five-game win streak against two of the top teams in the American League.
The Astros took down the New York Yankees in a doubleheader at home before traveling to take on the Seattle Mariners, in which Houston completed a three-game sweep.
Domination on the mound continues to be a huge part of the Astros' success, holding the lowest opposing batting average (.202) and WHIP (1.13) among teams who have played the same number of games. During this stretch, Houston also holds a 3.00 ERA and has tallied 41 strikeouts with a combined 17 from Justin Verlander and Framber Valdez.
Valdez followed up his win at the All-Star Game with a stellar outing against the Mariners. The left-hander threw six scoreless innings and in the end allowed three runs on eight hits, while striking out just as many.
The Astros offense has started the second half on a positive note as well, due in huge part to the production of José Altuve and Yordan Álvarez.
Among Houston players who have played in all five games since the break, Altuve leads in batting average (.318), on-base percentage (.318) and slugging percentage (.591). The Astros second baseman has also been setting the tone early, launching home runs to start two of the three games in Seattle.
The return of Álvarez has been impactful, as the designated hitter is slashing .333/.462/1.111 in the second half. The lefty added two home runs and five RBI in the last two series to add to his team-leading 28 and 65, respectively.
Sitting on the opposing side are the Oakland Athletics, who are 3-2 in their previous five games. The Astros lead the season series 6-3, but the Athletics took two of three from Houston the last time the two teams met.
Oakland is hitting .258/.324/.448 with eight home runs in the second half, but still ranks 26th in batting average (.213), on-base percentage (.274) and slugging percentage (.337) on the season.
The A's ace, Frankie Montas, returned from the injured list Thursday and is slated to take the mound against the Astros in game two on Tuesday.
Game One:
Astros Starter: Jake Odorizzi (4-2, 3.56 ERA)
Athletics Starter: Adam Oller (0-3, 8.56 ERA)
Jake Odorizzi is slated to get the start Monday. Odorizzi will be on seven days rest following his last outing July 17 against the Athletics, coincidentally. In his previous start, Odorizzi went 5 1/3 innings, allowing three runs on five hits and striking out five.
Adam Oller is scheduled to get the start Monday for Oakland. Oller will be a familiar face for the Astros, as he toed the rubber across from Odorizzi in his last outing. In that start, Oller allowed six hits and three runs through 4 1/3 innings.
First Pitch: Monday, 8:40 p.m. CST
Where to Watch: AT&T SportsNet-SW
Game Two:
Astros Starter: TBD
Athletics Starter: Frankie Montas (3-9, 3.16 ERA)
Although Houston has not announced their starters for games two and three of this series, one possibility is Cristian Javier. The righty will come into Tuesday on four days rest. In his last start, Javier faced the Yankees and allowed only one run off two hits in five innings pitched.
Frankie Montas will get the start Tuesday for Oakland. Montas was placed on the Injured List due to shoulder inflammation in early July. The hard-throwing righty returned to action Thursday against the Detroit Tigers, where he allowed just two hits through three innings in a limited start.
First Pitch: Tuesday, 8:40 p.m. CST
Where to Watch: AT&T SportsNet-SW
Game Three:
Astros Starter: TBD
Athletics Starter: Cole Irvin (5-7, 3.08 ERA)
The Astros may send Luís Garcia to the mound Wednesday. The Venezuela native will come into game three on five days rest after his start against the Yankees on Thursday. In that start, Garcia allowed just two runs on three hits and punched out six.
Cole Irvin is slated to start game three Wednesday. In his last start, Irvin needed just 84 pitches to get through seven innings of work. The lefty allowed two runs off three hits and struck out eight.
First Pitch: Wednesday, 2:37 p.m. CST
Where to Watch: AT&T SportsNet-SW
Players to Watch:
Astros: José Altuve
Altuve has been a problem for opposing pitchers as of late. Over the past month, Altuve has hit .289/.394/.518 and cranked five home runs. In the last five contests, the righty has started off the game with a hit three times, and will look to continue his lead-off success.
Athletics: Seth Brown
The player to watch for Oakland this week is Seth Brown. The first baseman has been impressive at the plate over the past week, ranking among the top ten in the league in batting average (.412) and slugging percentage (.824) during that span. Brown will look to continue his success for the Athletics in the cleanup spot throughout the series.
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