Athletics at Astros
The Houston Astros attempt to win their second series against the Oakland Athletics in less than two weeks when they host their American League West rivals on Thursday afternoon for the rubber match of their three-game set. Houston evened the set with Wednesday's 11-8 triumph after sweeping a four-game matchup in Oakland from June 19-22.
The Astros pounded out 17 hits in the win, with George Springer registering a pair of doubles and his franchise-record ninth leadoff home run of the season. The 27-year-old slugger, who has gone deep in three straight contests, is four leadoff blasts away from tying the major-league mark set in 2003 by Alfonso Soriano. Khris Davis belted two of the five home runs launched by Oakland, which had won the first four contests of its six-game road trip. The Athletics could be without Yonder Alonso on Thursday as the first baseman exited Wednesday's loss after fouling a ball off his right knee in the eighth inning.
TV: 2:10 p.m. ET, MLB Network, ROOT Southwest (Houston)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Athletics RH Daniel Gossett (1-2, 4.50 ERA) vs. Astros RH Brad Peacock (4-1, 2.82)
Gossett will fill in for injured right-hander Jharel Cotton and make his fourth major-league start - and first since recording his initial career victory on Saturday, when he allowed two unearned runs and five hits in six innings against the White Sox in Chicago. The outing also was the first in which the 24-year-old native of South Carolina did not surrender a home run. Gossett hopes to avenge a hard-luck loss to Houston on June 19 in which he gave up two runs and struck out six over 6 2/3 frames.
Peacock returns to the mound to make his seventh start of the season after spending time on paternity leave. The 29-year-old Floridian last pitched on June 19, when he defeated Gossett and the Athletics in Oakland after giving up one run and four hits while registering eight strikeouts in 5 2/3 innings. Peacock is 2-4 with a 4.47 ERA in 13 career games (10 starts) against Oakland, including a pair of relief appearances in April.
WALK-OFFS
1. Springer is five homers shy of matching the career-high total of 29 he hit last season, and his 24 blasts are the most by a member of the Astros prior to the All-Star break since Lance Berkman belted that amount in 2006.
2. Cotton's start has been pushed back from Thursday to Saturday against Atlanta due to a blister on his right thumb.
3. Houston RHP Charlie Morton (lat) made his second rehab start for Triple-A Fresno on Tuesday and could rejoin the Astros' rotation on Sunday.