On Thursday, the American League West leading Houston Astros open a four-game series on the road with the AL Central leading Cleveland Indians.
The Astros conclude their current series with San Francisco on Wednesday. Tuesday night the Astros defeated the Giants 11-2 behind the strong effort of pitcher Gerrit Cole, who struck out eight but was touched for a home run by Brandon Crawford who happens to be Cole’s brother-in-law.
Cleveland will conclude its current series with the Chicago Cubs on Wednesday before hosting the Astros. On Tuesday, the Indians beat the Cubs 10-1. Jose Ramirez hit home run number 14 on the season to help power the Indians over the Cubs.
Jose Altuve leads the Astros with a .318 batting average and team high 63 hits. George Springer is the team leader in home runs with nine and Carlos Correa is the RBIs leader with 31. Houston has a team batting average of .257, while opposing hitters are averaging just .196 at the plate against Astros pitching. On Thursday, the Astros will send Charlie Morton to the mound. The right-hander this season is 6-0 with an ERA of 1.94, 70 Ks and 18 BBs.
Michael Brantley leads the Indians with a .331 batting average. Jose Ramirez leads the team in home runs with 14 and in RBIs with 34. Cleveland has a team batting average of .247 while opposing hitters are averaging .239 at the plate against Indians pitching. On Thursday, Cleveland will send Mike Clevinger to the mound. The right-hander on the season is 3-1 with an ERA of 2.87, 50 Ks and 18 BBs.
