The Houston Astros and Cleveland Guardians will close out a four-game series on Sunday afternoon at Progressive Field. Each of the first two contests have finished in favor of Houston, with game three scheduled for later on Saturday after the time of publishing. Houston is easily atop the AL West at 70-38, while Cleveland is two games out of the AL Central lead at 54-52.
After winning six of the seven head-to-head matchups last year, the Astros hold a 4-1 advantage in the 2022 season series thus far.
The Astros are quickly closing in on the New York Yankees in the race for the best record in the AL, and only got better recently as new trade acquisition Trey Mancini paced a win over Cleveland on Friday. Mancini got the Astros on the board with a solo shot in the second before launching a grand slam one inning later as the blowout was quickly on.
Framber Valdez turned in yet another quality start in the win, allowing three runs on seven hits and three walks while striking out three across 6.1 innings. Jose Altuve had a three-hit game including an RBI double and a run scored, while Yordan Alvarez went 2-5 with a double and an RBI.
“From the second I got traded here, I wanted to make a positive impact when I’m in [the game], so I’m excited to keep it going. … Yeah, that’s my first grand slam. Took me a long time, but I finally got one,” Manci ni told MLB.com.
The Astros are up a big amount on the money line for the season while going 56-52 on the run line. Overs are just 39-66-3 for the Astros after Friday's high-scoring game snapped a run of five straight unders.
Houston surprisingly is only averaging 4.49 runs per game for the season despite posting a .744 team OPS that is fourth-best in baseball. This is baseball's second-best pitching staff with a 2.98 combined ERA including a mark of 2.71 from baseball's top bullpen.
Alvarez is arguably the best hitter in baseball this season with a .306/.412/.650 line, 30 homers and 73 driven in. Altuve is also enjoying another terrific campaign, posting an .888 OPS with 19 homers, nine steals and 61 runs scored.
Cristian Javier is set to make his 21st appearance and 17th start of the season, hoping to continue posting impressive numbers as he's 6-7 with a 3.24 ERA whil e striking out 128 batters in just 94.1 innings. The 25-year-old pitched well in a losing effort against the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday, allowing two runs on four hits and one walk while striking out seven across six innings.
Outfielder Michael Brantley continues to be shut down by shoulder discomfort, while catcher Jason Castro is done for the year with a knee injury. Starting pitcher Lance McCullers Jr. is nearing a season debut as he rehabs a strained flexor tendon. Relievers Josh James (strained lat) and Blake Taylor (elbow discomfort) are out.