On Sunday, the Houston Astros conclude their current three-game series on the road against the Kansas City Royals.
On Friday, the Astros won the opener between the two teams 7-3 thanks to a grand slam by Evan Gattis that put the Astros into the lead. Carlos Correa and Alex Bregman also went yard for Houston. The win was Houston’s ninth straight and kept them a half game in front of second place Seattle atop the American League West. Charlie Morton was the benefactor of the long ball by his teammates as he raised his season record to 8-1. Morton had control problems, but allowed just four hits and struck out nine while walking four. Jorge Soler fractured his toe and could land on the disabled list for Kansas City.
Jose Altuve has a .337 batting average to lead Houston along with a team high 97 hits. George Springer leads with 14 home runs and Evan Gattis leads with 46 RBIs. Houston has a team batting average of .265, while opposing hitters are averaging just .210 at the plate against Astros pitching. On Sunday, the Astros will send Lance McCullers Jr. to the mound. The right-hander this season is 8-3 with an ERA of 3.83, 81 KS and 32 BBs.
Whit Merrifield leads the Royals with a .291 batting average and team high 75 hits. Mike Moustakas has the team lead in home runs with 13 and RBIs with 45. Kansas City has a team batting average of .244 while opposing hitters are averaging .277 at the plate against Royals pitching. On Sunday, Kansas City will send Brad Keller to the mound. The right-hander this season is 1-2 with an ERA of 2.31, 23 Ks and 13 BBs.
