The Houston Astros and Oakland Athletics will take the field on Saturday at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. First pitch is scheduled for 1:07 p.m. PT.
Houston (28-21 SU and 24-25 RL) is starting lefty Framber Valdez tomorrow. The 29-year-old is 4-4 with a 2.45 ERA and 1.03 WHIP in ten starts this year.
Oakland (10-42 SU and 20-32 RL) had not named a starter for Saturday's game at the time this article was written. The team is searching for a replacement for Kyle Muller (1-4 with an 8.04 ERA and 1.96 WHIP in ten starts), who was sent down to Triple-A on Tuesday.
After sweeping the A's at home last week, Houston dropped two of three in Milwaukee. The Astros are three games out of first place in the AL West race.
Houston scores 4.35 runs per game (16th) and hit .244 (18th) with a .696 OPS (24th). It's hit 45 home runs (24th) and stolen 28 bases (24th) in 2023. The Astros' pitching staff sports the lowest ERA (3.23) in baseball and the third-lowest WHIP (1.18), including 22 quality starts.
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— Houston Astros (@astros) May 23, 2023
Valdez takes the hill for the visitors in game two of the three-game set. The southpaw dazzled on the mound in his last start, holding Oakland to four hits and striking out seven A's in a complete game shutout. Valdez, who has a 72:12 K:BB ratio this season, is 3-3 with a 2.67 ERA and 52 Ks in ten career appearances vs. Oakland.