On Monday, the Tampa Bay Rays head to the Lone Star State to open a series against the Houston Astros.
The Rays through Saturday had lost three straight following a 4-1 loss to the Yankees. The Rays have lost each of the first three games of their current four-game series with the Yankees. Tampa Bay could not hit Yankees starter Luis Severino who struck out nine. Matt Duffy produced the Rays only run with a ninth inning solo home run.
Houston won its 10th straight game on Saturday defeating the Kanas City Royals 10-2. The Astros were led by Alex Bregman and Max Stassi who both hit three-run home runs. The Astros lead the American League West by a half game over Seattle.
Matt Duffy leads the Rays with a .311 batting average and a team high 68 hits. C.J. Cron leads the Rays with 15 home runs and 36 RBIs. Tampa Bay has a team batting average of .252 while opposing hitters are averaging .229 at the plate against Rays pitching. Tampa Bay has not yet announced the starting pitcher for Monday’s game in Houston.
Jose Altuve has a .337 batting average to lead Houston along with a team high 98 hits. George Springer leads with 14 home runs while Evan Gattis leads in RBIs with 46. Houston has a team batting average of .265, while opposing hitters are averaging just .210 at the plate against Astros pitching. On Monday, the Astros will send Gerrit Cole to the mound. The right-hander this season is 8-1 with an ERA of 2.40, 130 Ks and 25 BBs.
