Baltimore @ Houston preview
Minute Maid Park
Last Meeting ( May 27, 2015 ) Houston 4, Baltimore 5
The Houston Astros lead the American League in wins but are not playing like it of late. The Astros will try to snap out of a funk and earn their second win in five games when they host the opener of a four-game series against the Baltimore Orioles on Monday.
Houston dropped two of three at the Orioles at the beginning of last week and followed that up by losing two of three at home to the Chicago White Sox. Both of the losses in Baltimore came by one run and that inability to get clutch hits carried over to the weekend, with the Astros suffering a 6-0 loss on Sunday despite matching the White Sox with 10 hits in the game. The Orioles lost some ground in the tightly-packed American League East by dropping two of three to the Tampa Bay Rays to complete a 4-4 homestand. Baltimore, which has not won a road series since opening the season with a pair of wins at Tampa Bay, is starting a seven-game trip.
TV: 8:10 p.m. ET, MASN2 (Baltimore), ROOT Southwest (Houston)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Orioles RH Ubaldo Jimenez (3-3, 3.14 ERA) vs. Astros LH Brett Oberholtzer (0-0, 3.00)
Jimenez went seven innings against Houston on Wednesday but did not factor in the decision after allowing four runs and 10 hits. That marked only the second time this season that the Dominican Republic native allowed more than three earned runs in an outing. Jimenez is 4-0 with a 2.56 ERA in 10 career starts against the Astros.
Oberholtzer (left index finger blister) is to be activated off the disabled list in time for Monday’s start. The 25-year-old will take over the spot vacated by Scott Feldman (knee), who is expected to miss six weeks. Oberholtzer is 2-0 with a 0.64 ERA in two career starts against Baltimore but has worked a total of three innings in the majors this season due to injury.
WALK-OFFS
1. Orioles CF Adam Jones (ankle) missed the last two games and is day-to-day.
2. Houston RF George Springer went 1-for-10 with six strikeouts against the White Sox over the weekend.
3. Baltimore DH Jimmy Paredes is 1-for-20 over his last five games to drop his batting average from .353 to .314.
PREDICTION: Astros 5, Orioles 3