The Houston Astros open a three-game interleague series on the road Friday against the San Diego Padres. Houston is 78-55 following a 1-0 loss to the Seattle Mariners on Wednesday. The Astros were defeated by the Mariners in each of the final two games of their series and were shut out in both games. Nevertheless, Houston leads the American League West by five games over the second-place Oakland Athletics.
Michael Brantley is batting .317 to lead Houston and the left fielder has a team-high 135 hits. Designated hitter Yordan Alvarez is the leader in home runs with 28 and RBIs with 89, while first baseman Yuli Gurriel is the leader in on-base percentage at .382. On Friday, the Houston Astros will send Jose Urquidy to the mound. The right-hander is 6-3 with an ERA of 3.38, 66 Ks and 13 BBs.
San Diego is 71-63 following an 8-3 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks on Wednesday. San Diego starting pitcher Yu Darvish was hit hard by the Diamondbacks allowing six runs on eight hits in only 2 ⅔ innings. San Diego is third in the National League West but a distant 14 games behind the first-place Los Angeles Dodgers.
Fernando Tatis Jr is batting .282 to lead San Diego and the shortstop as team highs in home runs with 36 and on-base percentage at .364. Third baseman Manny Machado is the leader in RBIs with 86 and second baseman Jake Cronenworth is the leader in hits with 131. On Friday, San Diego will send Jake Arrieta to the mound. The right-hander is 0-1 with an ERA of 13.50, 3 Ks and 1 BBs.
