Houston will try to build off its win over Boston when it travels to Cleveland on Thursday night. The Astros had lost three games in a four-game stretch prior to picking up a dominant win on Wednesday. Cleveland notched its third win in four games when it beat Arizona in a 7-4 final on Wednesday.
Houston has been one of the top teams in the majors this year, but it is amid one of its worst stretches. The Astros returned from the All-Star break by winning five straight games, but they have lost six of their nine games since then. They were swept in a shocking three-game series at Oakland at the end of last week before taking three out of four against Seattle. Houston lost a pair of one-run games against Boston earlier this week before salvaging the series with a win on Wednesday. The Astros are in first place in the American League West, leading Seattle by 10.5 games. They have the third-best record in the majors, sitting four games back of the Dodgers.
All smiles.
Today's @CommunityBankTX Photo of the Night. pic.twitter.com/vZLVPDLTOJ
— Houston Astros (@astros) August 3, 2022
The Astros have still not quite been able to get the bats going, ranked No. 17 in the MLB in batting average (.241). Designated hitter Yordan Alvarez leads the way with 94 hits, including 30 home runs. Second baseman Jose Altuve has 91 base knocks. They will be facing a Cleveland pitching staff that is No. 15 with an ERA of 3.89. Right-handed pitcher Justin Verlander is going to start for Houston on Thursday. He allowed one earned run on five hits and a walk while striking out five across 7.2 innings against Seattle. Verlander leads the majors with 14 wins and has a brilliant 1.81 ERA.