The Astros are trying to lock down their fourth straight series win on Saturday when they face the Diamondbacks in the middle game of the three-game set at Daikin Park.
Houston will hand the ball to Ethan Pecko, while Arizona counters with Brandon Pfaadt. Pfaadt enters at 7-2 with a 3.49 ERA, though his strikeout total has been modest at 73 over 111.0 innings. He turned in a strong August, going 2-1 with a 2.54 ERA.
Pecko is coming off the first major league win of his career. In his last start, the rookie worked 5.0 innings and gave up two runs in what stood as his best outing in the big leagues so far. The Astros have won all three of his major league starts.
Houston’s lineup starts with Jeremy Pena, as it usually does. Pena has been in a rough stretch since the beginning of August, putting up a .627 OPS and a .195 batting average over 29 games. His batting average has dropped from .319 to .277 since the start of that month.
Yordan Alvarez follows in the two hole, and he’s been through a quieter spell of his own. He has only two home runs since July 29, but September has opened with a .333 average.
Even without leaving the yard, Alvarez has reached base in half of his plate appearances this month and owns a .917 OPS. He remains tied in both home runs and RBI in the triple crown chase.
Isaac Paredes is in the three spot and brings a five-game hitting streak into the game, with at least one hit in each contest. He has also drawn 11 walks over his last 12 games, helping keep the middle of the order moving. Over his last 26 games, he has posted an .882 OPS and 0.604 win probability added.
Jose Altuve bats cleanup after going 0-for-3 with a sacrifice fly on Friday. He has just one hit in September so far, a two-run home run on Thursday, and is 1-for-13 in the month. Even with that slow start, he was named to MLB’s Team of the Month at second base for his August work.
Daulton Varsho is fifth in the order after going 2-for-21 over his last six games. Since Houston acquired him on Aug. 3, the Astros are 15-13 in games he has appeared in. He carries a .552 OPS with the club.
Christian Walker bats sixth and is two homers shy of 200 for his career. Since the beginning of August, he has a .580 OPS with two home runs and 14 RBI.
Yainer Diaz gets the start behind the plate and hits seventh. He has been on a tear lately, producing a 1.162 OPS over his last eight games with five extra-base hits, including two doubles and three home runs.
Taylor Trammell is eighth against Arizona’s right-hander. He has been far better against righties this season, with a .687 OPS compared to .435 against left-handed pitchers. Since Aug. 14, though, he has struggled badly, batting .104 (5-for-48) with a .319 OPS.
Cam Smith rounds out the lineup in the nine spot after hitting .250 in August with a .785 OPS. He has come off the bench the last two games and recently picked up his 100th career RBI.
In Other News...
Astros Bullpen Suddenly Has A Late-Inning Problem At The Worst Time
The Astros lost another important bullpen arm this week when Steven Okert went on the 15-day injured list retroactive to Sept. 1 with a right hamstring strain. Okert has been a key piece of Houstons relief mix this season, and the timing is rough for a club trying to steady late innings as the schedule tightens.
Houston now has to lean more heavily on the rest of its relief group, with AJ Blubaugh and Bennett Sousa among the pitchers expected to take on a bigger share of the load. Okert is projected to be out until at least Sept. 16, leaving the Astros to patch together some of the innings that often decide close games. [Read more 🡒]
Astros Bullpen Shuffle Could Say A Lot About This Road Trip
The Astros made another bullpen move before facing the Diamondbacks, optioning Kai-Wei Teng to Triple-A Sugar Land and bringing back Miguel Ullola to give the relief group a fresh arm. It is the kind of late-season shuffle contenders make when every outing starts to matter a little more, especially for a club still sitting atop the AL West and trying to keep its October path clean.
Ullola is back in the majors after last pitching on Aug. 18, while Teng heads back down after struggling in recent appearances. Houstons bullpen has been a moving target on this road trip, and with the magic number down to 17, the next few decisions may say plenty about how the Astros plan to manage both the standings and the workload that comes with them. [Read more 🡒]
Jeremy Pea's Slump Is Becoming A Real Astros Problem
Jeremy Pena looked like he had turned a corner in July, when he was driving the ball, getting on base and giving the Astros the kind of spark they need near the top of the lineup. He finished that month batting .381 with a .412 on-base percentage and a 1.110 OPS, and he added six home runs while looking like one of Houstons most dangerous hitters.
Since Aug. 3, though, the picture has changed sharply. Pena has batted .161 over 29 games, and the strikeouts have climbed as his overall production has faded, right as Houstons run output has also taken a step back. For a club that leans on his bat to help set the tone, the slump has become more than a rough stretch - it is starting to show up in the offense around him. [Read more 🡒]