Padres at Astros
Home cooking seems to be agreeing with Josh Reddick, who shook off a rough opening series on the road and appears to be every bit as comfortable at Minute Maid Park as he was last season. The red-hot outfielder looks to remain locked in at the plate a bit longer when his Houston Astros begin interleague play Friday with the first of three games against the visiting San Diego Padres.
Reddick, who batted .344 at home in his first season with Houston in 2017, went hitless in seven at-bats during the Astros' four-game road series with the Texas Rangers last weekend. The 31-year-old picked up where he left off upon his return to Minute Maid Park in the Astros' three-game sweep of the Baltimore Orioles, however, finishing the series 6-for-10 - including a two-homer, six-RBI explosion Tuesday and a three-hit performance in Wednesday's 3-2 victory. Such efforts have been few and far between for the Padres, who concluded their 1-6 season-opening homestand with a 3-1 setback versus the Colorado Rockies on Thursday. San Diego has hit a respectable nine homers and is hitting .302 with runners in scoring position, but a .220 team batting average overall is one of the reasons the Padres find themselves tied with the Tampa Bay Rays for the worst record in the majors (1-6).
TV: 8:10 p.m. ET, FS San Diego, AT&T SportsNet Southwest (Houston)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Padres RH Luis Perdomo (0-1, 11.25 ERA) vs. Astros RH Lance McCullers Jr. (1-0, 3.38)
Perdomo struck out seven but was otherwise ineffective over four innings Saturday, giving up five runs on seven hits and four walks versus the Milwaukee Brewers while recording only one groundball out after leading the National League in ground-ball rate in 2017. The 24-year-old is coming off a campaign during which he went 2-6 and sported a .299 batting average away from home in 13 turns. Perdomo has never opposed the Astros, but he has struggled against Reddick (4-for-5, home run) - the only Houston hitter he has faced.
McCullers remained in the game long enough to get the win Saturday against the Rangers after he was struck in the ankle by a comebacker, allowing two runs on four hits while striking out 10 across 5 1/3 innings. The Florida native was equally dominant during exhibition play, going 3-0 with a 1.29 ERA and 0.90 WHIP in six appearances (five starts), fanning 24 over 21 frames. McCullers has never faced San Diego, but he has baffled A.J. Ellis (1-for-6), Chase Headley (0-for-7, five strikeouts) and Eric Hosmer (1-for-6).
WALK-OFFS
1. The Astros' six wins through seven games matches the 1987 and 1988 teams for the best seven-game start in club history.
2. Hosmer is 1-for-11 with five strikeouts over his last three contests after stringing together three straight two-hit games.
3. Houston SS Carlos Correa (toe) rested Wednesday, but manager A.J. Hinch told reporters he expects the one-time All-Star to return to the lineup Friday.