The Diamondbacks won two straight home games for just the second time this season by taking the final two of a weekend set from San Diego. Arizona will try to keep the good fortune going against the road-challenged Astros.
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ODDS ANALYSIS
Something has to give in this one. The Astros haven’t been good on the road, which is a main reason why they are struggling to get out of the cellar in the AL West. The Diamondbacks have been just as awful at home, which is why they are struggling to stay ahead of San Diego and out of the basement in the NL West.
Houston ends its five-game road trip while the D-backs conclude a five-game homestand before the teams continue their interleague set in Houston on Wednesday. Both teams enjoyed a reversal of fortune over the weekend. The Astros won 4-2 in Anaheim on Saturday behind Dallas Keuchel, improving to 8-16 in away games. Houston is down 10.02 units on the moneyline in its 24 roadies. Arizona won 8-7 over San Diego on Saturday for its eighth home win of the year. The D-backs have cashed the over in eight straight games.
PROBABLE PITCHERS
This is the Lance McCullers (1-1, 4.60 ERA) the Astros were waiting for. After two months of recovery and setbacks because of a shoulder injury, the 22-year-old righty notched his first win of the season last Thursday in impressive fashion, striking out 10 Orioles over five inning of work as the Astros came out on top 4-2. He walked six and tossed 108 pitches, but his only run allowed was a solo homer.
McCullers has gotten progressively better over his three starts, which is an encouraging sign. However, the base on balls has been a bugga-boo. He’s issued 12 in just 15.2 innings, leading to elevated pitch counts and short outings. He took a no-decision in his only start against Arizona in last year’s regular season finale, giving up two earned on six hits with six strikeouts in five innings.
Patrick Corbin (2-4, 4.21 ERA) gave up five runs to the Pirates last time out, his worst start in the month of May. The lefty was roughed up for six hits and four earned while walking two and striking out five. His big mistake was allowing opposing pitcher Gerrit Cole to blast a three-run homer, the 10th long-ball allowed this year.
With starters Shelby Miller and Rubby De La Rosa going on the disabled list, the D-backs need Corbin to perform better than his numbers have played out this year. His strikeouts per nine innings are down, and his walks and home runs are up. Not good signs for tossing in Chase Field.
LIVE BETTING
The Astros set a record for most strikeouts in a three-game series and, surprisingly, it wasn’t by their hitters. Nope, Houston’s pitching staff whiffed 52 Baltimore batters over three days last week, setting a MLB record. The Astros’ hitters lead the big leagues in most times striking out, but for one series it was the other way around.
Included in that record stretch was a special performance from McCullers, who became the fourth pitcher in the majors since 1913 to strike out 10 and allow no more than one hit in less than six inning pitched. It was the hard-throwing right-hander’s third start of the season after dealing with shoulder problems during the spring, and he appears to be settling in. We could see plenty of swings and misses in this contest as the D-backs offense is in the upper half of strikeouts in the National League.
QUICK PICK
Both teams had high hopes coming into the season but things just haven’t worked out. The Astros have failed to build on their success from last season when the youngsters developed into the talk of the American League. The struggles for both teams can be related to pitching, which has been a sore spot all season. Houston showed signs of getting their ace back on track when Keuchel pitched a strong game Saturday night. The hope is that effort carries over to the rest of the staff.
McCullers is in line for a front end spot in the rotation for years to come and he’s finding a groove after coming back from a shoulder injury. He was tough in his last outing with 10 strikeouts in five innings, flashing the stuff that makes him so valuable. If his limits the base on balls, Arizona will have a hard time scoring runs by stringing hits together.
MLB Odds: Houston 7, Arizona 4
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