Astros at Rangers
Justin Verlander looks for his fourth consecutive victory when the Houston Astros visit the Texas Rangers on Friday for the second contest of their four-game series. Verlander leads the major leagues with a 1.24 ERA but is just 1-1 in three starts versus the Rangers this season despite allowing only two runs and eight hits in 20 innings.
Verlander is a stellar 5-1 with a 0.44 ERA in six road starts this season, limiting opponents to a .164 batting average in those contests. Evan Gattis homered and recorded three RBIs in Thursday's 5-2 victory, giving him six shots over his last 10 games. The Rangers erupted for 15 runs in back-to-back victories over Oakland before recording just three hits over six innings against Astros starter Gerrit Cole in the opener. Shin-Soo Choo collected two hits on Thursday for his third multi-hit performance in six contests.
TV: 8:05 p.m. ET, AT&T SportsNet-Southwest (Houston), FS Southwest (Texas)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Astros RH Justin Verlander (7-2, 1.24 ERA) vs. Rangers RH Doug Fister (1-6, 4.13)
Verlander has struck out 23 and walked just five in his three turns against the Rangers, with the victory coming in his first start of the campaign. The 35-year-old allowed two runs in 21 2/3 innings during a three-start winning streak before settling for a no-decision against Boston in his last turn, when he gave up two runs and three hits over six frames. Verlander is 12-7 with a 2.72 ERA in 23 career starts against the Rangers and regularly has frustrated Choo (13-for-74, two homers, 33 strikeouts).
Fister defeated Houston in his club debut on March 30 and has gone 0-6 in 10 starts since. The 34-year-old lost to the Astros on May 12, dropping to 2-2 with a 3.34 ERA in five career starts against Houston. Fister lost to the Los Angeles Angels in his last outing as he gave up three runs and four hits over six innings.
WALK-OFFS
1. Astros SS Carlos Correa (side) sat out Thursday's contest after suffering the injury one night earlier.
2. Texas GM Jon Daniels, in his 13th season running the team, agreed to a multi-year contract extension on Thursday.
3. Houston 2B Jose Altuve went 3-for-4 with two runs scored on Thursday and is 8-for-19 during his five-game hitting streak.