Astros at Orioles
The Houston Astros will try to continue to pick on the host Baltimore Orioles when the teams continue a three-game series at Camden Yards on Saturday. Collin McHugh makes his season debut for the Astros as he returns from an elbow ailment and will be making his 100th career start while hoping for the same kind of run support Houston's bats provided in the series opener.
Yuli Gurriel homered as part of a four-hit effort in the Astros' 8-7 win Friday night, which left them 4-0 against Baltimore this season and 10-1 over the last two years. Second baseman Jose Altuve had a hit in four at-bats Friday to extend his hitting streak to a season-high 13 games, during which he is batting .483. The Orioles had their four-game winning streak snapped but rallied late to make it interesting and they are averaging 9.5 runs over their last four affairs. McHugh will be opposite Baltimore's Chris Tillman, who is coming off perhaps his best start in an otherwise difficult season.
TV: 7:05 p.m. ET, AT&T SportsNet Southwest (Houston), MASN (Baltimore)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Astros RH Collin McHugh (2016: 13-10, 4.34 ERA) vs. Orioles RH Chris Tillman (1-5, 7.20)
McCugh is 43-26 with a 3.71 ERA in 90 career starts with the Astros and he led them with 33 starts a year ago. The 30-year-old made five rehab starts in the minors while posting a 5.06 ERA. McHugh was pounded for seven runs (six earned) in three innings at Camden Yards last August and owns a 6.18 ERA in five career meetings with the Orioles.
Tillman had an ERA of 8.39 through his first 10 starts but he has rebounded to yield three runs in 11 innings over his last two outings. The veteran righty has surrendered nine hits in that span and kept the ball in the ballpark during six solid innings against Texas his last time out, which marked the first time since May 24 that the 29-year-old had not surrendered a home run. Tillman is 2-3 with a 3.89 ERA in six career starts against Houston.
WALK-OFFS
1. Houston CF George Springer is 6-for-11 over his last three games.
2. Orioles 2B Jonathan Schoop has driven in 13 runs over his last five contests and CF Adam Jones boasts seven RBIs in a span of three games.
3. Astros 3B Colin Moran homered in his season debut Friday after being recalled from the minors earlier in the week.