Houston @ Cleveland preview

Last Meeting ( Jul 8, 2015 ) Houston 2, Cleveland 4

Having won back-to-back games at home for the first time in more than five weeks, the Cleveland Indians go for their third consecutive victory over the visiting Houston Astros on Thursday in the finale of their four-game set. The Indians rebounded from a series-opening 9-4 drubbing with a pair of two-run triumphs and seek their first three-game home winning streak since May 22-24.

Cleveland's David Murphy, a Houston native, is 4-for-7 with four RBIs after delivering the key blow in Wednesday's 4-2 victory - a tiebreaking two-run double in the eighth inning. Murphy, a .321 lifetime hitter in 47 games against his hometown team, is 11-for-26 overall in his last 11 games. The Astros have managed only two runs and 12 hits over their last two contests, with both runs and the only non-single coming courtesy of a two-run homer by Evan Gattis, who has hit safely in nine consecutive games. Houston attempts to salvage a series split when it sends Brett Oberholtzer to the mound to oppose rookie standout Cody Anderson.

TV: 7:10 p.m. ET, MLBN, ROOT (Houston), SportsTime Ohio (Cleveland)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Astros LH Brett Oberholtzer (2-1, 4.32 ERA) vs. Indians RH Cody Anderson (1-1, 0.76)

Oberholtzer will be recalled from Triple-A Fresno to make Thursday's start and hopes for a better effort than his forgettable performance in his last turn. The 26-year-old was ejected and demoted after getting knocked around for six runs and a pair of homers in 1 1/3 innings of a 9-6 loss to the New York Yankees on June 27. Oberholtzer has lost all three career starts versus Cleveland despite allowing five earned runs in 20 1/3 frames.

Anderson has been sensational in each of his first three major-league starts, but he was a hard-luck loser at Pittsburgh on Saturday after giving up one run on six hits over eight innings in a 1-0 setback. He also worked eight frames in his previous start and earned his first victory by limiting Tampa Bay to one run on two hits. He is the first Cleveland pitcher since 1914 to toss at least 7 2/3 innings in each of his first three starts.

WALK-OFFS

1. Cleveland is the first team in baseball history to have four pitchers with at least 100 strikeouts by the All-Star break.

2. Astros rookie RF Preston Tucker is 8-for-13 in the series.

3. Indians 3B Giovanny Urshela is 1-for-12 since his 13-game hitting streak.

PREDICTION: Indians 4, Astros 3