On Friday, the Houston Astros play the second game of their four-game road series against the Cleveland Indians.
The Astros on Wednesday defeated the San Francisco Giants 4-1 to sweep the short two-game interleague series with the Giants and give the Astros a three-game winning streak. Justin Verlander had nine strikeouts in six innings in the win and dropped his ERA to 1.08. Houston has now won six of its last seven games.
Adam Plutko pitched a gem of a game for the Indians on Wednesday as Cleveland beat the Chicago Cubs 1-0 for a two-game sweep of their short interleague series. Plutko carried a no-hitter into the seventh inning after which Andrew Miller came in pitched superbly in relief.
Jose Altuve leads the Astros with a .313 batting average and team high 63 hits. George Springer’s 10 home runs lead the team, while Carlos Correa’s 32 RBIs are a team high. Houston has a team batting average of .256 while opposing hitters are averaging .196 at the plate against Astros pitching. Houston will send Dallas Keuchel to the mound on Friday. The left-hander this season is 3-6 with an ERA of 3.43, 48 Ks and 17 BBs.
Michael Brantley leads the Indians with a .338 batting average. Jose Ramirez is the team leader in home runs with 14 and RBIs with 34. Cleveland has a team batting average of .247, while opposing hitters are averaging .237 at the plate against Indians pitching. Cleveland will send Corey Kluber to the mound on Friday. The right-hander this season is 7-2 with an ERA of 2.36, 71 Ks and 10 BBs.
