The Houston Astros will play the third game of a four-game series on the road against American League West rivals the Texas Rangers on Saturday.
The Astros won the opening game of the series on Thursday 5-2 as Evan Gattis hit a two-run home run and an RBI single while Astros starter Gerrit Cole gave up just one run in six strong innings on the mound. Gattis has hit 10 home runs this season and nine have been in his last 20 starts. Gattis now has hit four home runs in 34 at bats against Cole Hamels. The Astros also had a home run by Alex Bregman while Jose Altuve remained hot with three singles. Cole is now 7-1 on the season after allowing only three singles. Cole struck out eight and walked three.
Jose Altuve leads the Astros with a .338 batting average and a team high 88 hits. George Springer leads the Astros in home runs with 13 and Carlos Correa in RBIs with 39. Houston has a team batting average of .258 while opposing hitters are averaging .210 at the plate against Astros pitching. On Saturday, the Astros will send Charlie Morton to the mound. The right-hander this season is 7-1 with an ERA of 2.84, 92 Ks and 23 BBs.
Shin-Soo Choo leads Texas with a .267 batting average and a team high in hits with 64. Joey Gallo leads the team in home runs with 17, while Nomar Mazara has a team high 39 RBIs. Texas has a team batting average of .229 while opposing hitters are averaging .270 at the plate against Rangers pitching. On Saturday, the Rangers will send Mike Minor to the mound. The southpaw on the season is 4-4 with an ERA of 5.76, 52 Ks and 14 BBs.
