Astros at Rangers
The Houston Astros are coming off a record-setting offensive performance but a marquee pitching matchup will be the focal point in Friday's series opener at the Texas Rangers. The red-hot Astros will vie for their eighth consecutive victory when they send ace left-hander Dallas Keuchel to the mound against Texas' Yu Darvish.
Houston is riding high after setting a franchise record by scoring 40 runs in a three-game sweep at Minnesota, capped by a six-homer barrage in the series finale to boost its record to a major league-best 38-16. "What's not to like?" Astros manager A.J. Hinch said following the destruction of the Twins. "We just did what we do when we're at our best, which is keep coming at you every inning and putting pressure on you." The Rangers will need a big effort from Darvish to cool off Houston's bats and combat Keuchel, who is bidding to become baseball's first nine-game winner. Texas has dropped seven of nine overall and lost three of four at Houston at the beginning of May, giving up 28 runs in the series.
TV: 8:05 p.m. ET, FSN Southwest (Texas), ROOT Southwest (Houston)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Astros LH Dallas Keuchel (8-0, 1.81 ERA) vs. Rangers RH Yu Darvish (5-3, 2.97)
Keuchel leads the majors in wins and is second in the American League in ERA, and perhaps the only knock against him is that he has not pitched beyond six innings in his three-start winning streak. Keuchel, who pitched at least seven innings in his first seven turns, has allowed two runs or fewer in nine of his 10 starts. He missed the earlier series against the Rangers but is 5-7 with a 4.24 ERA against them.
Darvish had a six-start unbeaten streak halted last time out in Toronto, giving up a three-run homer in a 3-1 setback. Darvish was 4-0 over his previous six starts, surrendering a total of 11 runs, while permitting five hits or fewer in four of those outings. Darvish owns a 4-4 record and 3.51 ERA in 12 career starts against the Astros, but George Springer is 5-for-12 with a pair of homers against him.
WALK-OFFS
1. Springer is 13-for-27 with four homers and seven RBIs during a six-game hitting streak.
2. Rangers SS Elvis Andrus, who has hit safely in seven straight, has four consecutive multiple-hit games and seven RBIs in the last two.
3. Astros SS Carlos Correa has three homers and 10 RBIs during a seven-game hitting streak, with multiple hits in six of them.