The Houston Astros face the Oakland A's with both teams on opposite ends of the standings. The Astros have a 53-43 record and are in second place in the American League West Division. The A's have a 27-71 record and have the worst record in the American League. For the upcoming game, the Astros will turn to Framber Valdez as their starting pitcher who has allowed 11 runs in his last three starts while the A's will turn to JP Sears who has only allowed four runs in his last three starts.
The Astros are having a great season and hope to win the division for the third year in a row. Framber Valdez has struggled in recent starts but is putting together a strong season, allowing only 41 runs in 117.1 innings pitched while tossing 129 strikeouts. Additionally, with a .393 expected opponent Slugging Percentage, a 5.9 Walk Rate, and a 3.92 expected ERA, opponents are making weak contact and struggling to drive in runs against Valdez this year.
Valdez has stepped up but the lineup has carried the Astros, scoring 4.71 runs per game. Chas McCormick is slashing .285/.370/.534 with 12 home runs and 103 total bases while Kyle Tucker is slashing .298/.377/.488 with 14 home runs and 167 total bases but the rest of the lineup has stepped up as well. Yanier Diaz is slashing .267/.287/.487 with 10 home runs and 93 total bases while Alex Bregman and Jeremy Pena have added 23 home runs and 273 tot al bases to add power to the middle of the lineup, making the Astros tough to stop at the plate.