The Houston Astros (61-47) will be trying to move into first place in the AL West standings when they face the New York Yankees (55-52) in the first game of their four-game series on Thursday night.
Cristian Javier, 7-2, 4.33 ERA, will get the start for the Astros. The Yankees will counter with Clarke Schmidt, 7-6, 4.39 ERA.
Houston is 9-1 in its last 10 games against New York.
**This preview was written before Wednesday’s games were played**
The Astros played well over the past week and they’ve won four of their last five games. They are now half a game behind Texas in the AL West standings and will try to take sole possession of first place with a win over the Yankees, which will give them their fifth win in their last six games.
Houston is averaging 4.77 runs per game. Their .249 batting average is 17th in the league. Their .320 on base percentage is 15th, while their .414 slugging percentage is 13th.
Kyle Tucker leads Houston with a .301 batting average and 74 RBI, while Yordan Alvarez leads the team with 19 home runs.
Houston’s pitching has been good, with the team giving up 4.20 runs per game. Opponents have a .242 batting average against the Astros, which is eighth in the league. Their 3.78 ERA is third, while their 1.27 WHIP is 12th< /sup>.
In his last start, Javier gave up three hits and three runs in six innings, leading to a 4-3 loss to Tampa Bay. They will need a better effort from him if they want to win this game.