Astros at Rockies
Houston Astros outfielder George Springer showed signs of breaking out of a lengthy slump with a solo blast at last week’s All-Star game and hasn’t slowed down since. Springer has eight RBIs in his last four contests for the Astros, who conclude their brief two-game interleague series against the host Colorado Rockies on Wednesday.
Springer and Alex Bregman each homered in Tuesday’s 8-2, 10-inning victory as the Astros improved to a major league-best 35-15 on the road. The 28-year-old Springer snapped a homer drought of 22 games with a grand slam in last Friday’s win over the Los Angeles Angels and has reached base safely in nine of his 19 plate appearances since the break. Colorado lost its second straight following a seven-game winning streak when the Astros scored six runs in the 10th inning against Wade Davis and Yency Almonte. Rookie second baseman Garrett Hampson started his third straight game in place of DJ LeMahieu (oblique) and went 1-for-3 with a walk while batting seventh.
TV: 8:40 p.m. ET, AT&T SportsNet Southwest (Houston), AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain (Colorado)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Astros RH Charlie Morton (11-2, 2.96 ERA) vs. Rockies RH Jon Gray (8-7, 5.44)
Morton stumbled into the All-Star break after allowing a total of eight runs on 11 hits over his last two starts covering 10 innings. The first-time All-Star had been dominant before the rough stretch, and his 11.7 strikeouts per nine innings rank third among American League pitchers. Carlos Gonzalez is 7-for-21 with a home run against the 34-year-old Morton, who is 2-2 with a 4.53 ERA in eight career starts versus Colorado, including 1-1 with a 6.97 ERA in four outings at Coors Field.
Making his first start since being optioned to Triple-A on June 30, Gray yielded one run over 7 1/3 innings in a 4-1 win over Seattle on July 14. “I saw so much negative for a while that it was hard to see positives,” Gray told reporters. “But I’ve seen a lot of positives lately, and it’s been easier to believe in it. And when I believe in my stuff, I feel like I’m going to win.” The 26-year-old native of Oklahoma is facing Houston for the first time and owns a 5-1 record and 3.42 ERA in nine career interleague starts.
WALK-OFFS
1. Colorado RHP German Marquez (paternity leave) is set to return to the starting rotation Sunday against Oakland.
2. Bregman is hitting .328 with 13 home runs and 35 RBI in his last 33 games.
3. The Rockies activated Harrison Musgrave from the 10-day disabled list and placed fellow LHP Chris Rusin on the DL with left plantar fasciitis.