The Houston Astros complete a three-game interleague series on the road Sunday against the San Diego Padres. Houston is 79-55 following a 6-3 victory over San Diego on Friday in the opening game of the series. The Astros have won six of the last nine and Houston is first in the American League West 5 ½ games ahead of the second-place Oakland Athletics.
Michael Brantley is batting .316 to lead Houston and the left fielder has a team-high 136 hits. Designated hitter Yordan Alvarez is leading Houston in home runs with 28 and RBIs with 89, while Yuri Gurrell is the leader in on-base percentage at .380. On Sunday, Houston will send Luis Garcia to the mound. The right-hander is 10-6 with an ERA of 3.23, 150 Ks and 39 BBs.
San Diego dropped to 71-64 following its three-run loss to Houston in the opening game of the series on Friday. The Padres have lost seven of the last 10 and are third in the National League West 15 games behind the first-place San Francisco Giants. San Diego continues to have a solid team ERA that is ninth in baseball, but are just 19th in slugging percentage.
Fernando Tatis Jr is batting .280 to lead San Diego and the shortstop as team highs in home runs with 36 and on-base percentage at .365. Third baseman Manny Machado is the leader in RBIs with 87 and second baseman Jake Cronenworth is the leader in hits with 131. On Sunday, San Diego will send Chris Paddack to the mound. The right-hander is 7-6 with an ERA of 4.98, 95 Ks and 20 BBs.
