Rays at Astros
The American League-best Houston Astros hope to snap out of a bit of a funk on the mound when they host the Tampa Bay Rays on Monday for the opener of their four-game series. The Astros have dropped three of their last four contests after getting thumped 13-1 by Detroit on Sunday and given up a total of 32 runs in that stretch, which could push them toward picking up another starting pitcher before Monday’s non-waiver trade deadline.
Lance McCullers Jr. gave up five runs on Sunday and the bullpen was pounded for eight more over three innings as Houston was shut out until Alex Bregman belted a solo homer in the ninth. Charlie Morton will try to turn things around on the mound for the Astros, who lead the AL West by 16 games, and will be opposed by one of the league’s hottest pitchers in Alex Cobb. The Rays salvaged the finale of their four-game road series against the New York Yankees with a 5-3 victory on Sunday and the newly acquired Lucas Duda recorded a single, giving him a hit in each of his first three contests with Tampa Bay (3-for-7, two homers). The Rays have won just three of their last 11 contests and trail the first-place Yankees by 3 ½ games in the AL East while sitting 2 ½ behind Kansas City for the second wild card.
TV: 8:10 p.m. ET, FSN Sun (Tampa Bay), AT&T SportsNet-Southwest (Houston)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Rays RH Alex Cobb (9-6, 3.46 ERA) vs. Astros RH Charlie Morton (8-4, 3.83)
Cobb has gone 3-0 in his last four starts after allowing five runs and 17 hits over 30 1/3 innings. The 29-year-old Bostonian has served up six home runs over his last five turns and 16 in 21 overall starts but has issued just 34 walks in 138 frames. Brian McCann is 8-for-15 with a pair of homers versus Cobb, who lost to the Astros after yielding four runs over six innings on April 21 to fall to 1-1 with a 3.65 ERA in two career outings against them.
Morton continued to put together what could be his best season in the majors after limiting Philadelphia to three hits and one walk over seven scoreless innings last time out. The 33-year-old native of New Jersey has completed six frames in just half of his 14 starts but has registered 92 strikeouts over 82 1/3 innings, including 24 in the last three turns. Corey Dickerson is 5-for-12 with a homer against Morton, who gave up five runs over five innings in a loss at Tampa Bay on April 22.
WALK-OFFS
1. Houston 2B Jose Altuve has hit safely in 20 of his last 21 games, batting .500 during that stretch.
2. Tampa Bay 1B Logan Morrison (heel) did not start the team's last three contests but could be back in the lineup Monday.
3. The Astros placed RHP Will Harris (shoulder) on the 10-day disabled list and recalled LHP Reymin Guduan from Triple-A Fresno.