Rangers at Astros
The Texas Rangers have benefited from stellar starting pitching to fuel their five-game winning streak. Right-hander Andrew Cashner will look to continue his team's run of good fortune on Wednesday at Minute Maid Park as the Rangers vie for a sweep of their suddenly struggling Lone Star State rival.
Nick Martinez kept the Rangers rolling after tossing six strong innings in Tuesday's 4-2 triumph, with the team's starters having yielded only seven runs on 22 hits over 32 innings during the winning streak. Rougned Odor recorded his fifth career multi-homer performance with two blasts to improve to 5-for-8 with three RBIs and three runs scored in the series. George Springer launched his second homer in three outings and Carlos Correa also went deep for the Astros, who have answered an 11-game winning streak with losses in six of their last eight. Springer is 4-for-10 with two doubles in his career versus Cashner.
TV: 8:10 p.m. ET, FSN Southwest (Texas), ROOT (Houston)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Rangers RH Andrew Cashner (3-5, 3.17 ERA) vs. Astros RH Francis Martes (0-0, 9.82)
Cashner has dropped both decisions versus Houston this season, allowing eight runs on 14 hits and a 1.50 WHIP in 12 innings. The 30-year-old Texan has bounced back from two five-run performances by permitting just one in seven innings in his ensuing start. Cashner rebounded from surrendering five runs on 11 hits against the Astros on June 3 to shut down Washington on Friday, keeping the ball in the park for the third time in his last four outings and seventh in 11 trips to the mound this season.
Martes has been summoned to make his first career start Wednesday with Houston's rotation besieged by injury. The 21-year-old Dominican allowed four earned runs in 3 2/3 innings of relief against the Los Angeles Angels on Friday, giving manager A.J. Hinch an eyeful of the Astros' top pitching prospect. “With a young pitcher like Martes, it’s a battle within himself," Hinch said. “Just repeating his delivery and using his pitches and getting his first outing out of the way was nice. ... It was a low-pressure game and he could see that his stuff in the strike zone plays pretty well. But he's got some work to do mechanically to be consistent."
WALK-OFFS
1. Houston 2B Jose Altuve is 0-for-8 in this series and hitless in 12 at-bats over his last three games versus Texas.
2. Rangers SS Elvis Andrus is 0-for-7 with three strikeouts in the series on the heels of a 15-game hitting streak.
3. Astros OF Carlos Gomez (hamstring) is slated to play seven innings in a rehabilitation start for Double-A Frisco on Wednesday.