Houston @ Texas preview

Last Meeting ( Jul 19, 2015 ) Texas 0, Houston 10

The Houston Astros coughed up their lead in the American League West right before the Midsummer Classic thanks to a six-game losing streak. The Astros took two of three from the Texas Rangers to begin the second half to spark an 11-4 run coming out of the All-Star break – a stretch they’ll look to continue when they visit the Rangers for the first of three games on Monday.

Houston held a five-game edge over the Los Angeles Angels on July 3, but proceeded to drop eight of nine during a disastrous road trip that saw its offense fail to score more than three runs seven times. The Astros swept the Angels last week to regain the division lead they held for most of the season and have won five of six overall following Sunday’s 4-1 victory over Arizona. The Rangers (51-53) continued their climb back to .500 with their fourth win in five contests, riding a masterful 8 1/3-inning effort from Martin Perez in a 2-1 triumph over San Francisco on Sunday. Texas hopes it can get a similar performance in the opener from scheduled starter Colby Lewis, who is 2-0 with a 2.78 ERA in three tries versus the Astros this season.
TV: 8:05 p.m. ET, ROOT (Houston), FSN Southwest (Texas)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Astros RH Lance McCullers (5-3, 2.48 ERA) vs. Rangers RH Colby Lewis (11-4, 4.42)
McCullers notched his first victory in exactly a month in Wednesday’s 6-3 defeat of the Angels, yielding a run on five hits in seven frames. The 21-year-old rookie has limited opposing hitters to a .207 batting average and will be seeking his second career road win and first since getting No. 1 in Detroit on May 23. McCullers, who has allowed one run or less in four of his last six outings and three earned runs or fewer in 12 of his first 13 career starts, will draw the Rangers for the first time. Lewis continued his second-half surge with Wednesday’s 5-2 triumph of the New York Yankees, permitting two runs over six innings for his third victory in as many turns. The 36-year-old, who leads the team in wins and quality starts (14), improved to 7-1 since the start of June despite a 4.19 ERA in those 11 outings. Lewis has struggled against Jose Altuve (6-for-20), Jed Lowrie (6-for-20 with a home run) and Colby Rasmus (5-for-15, homer), but is 7-1 with a 1.91 ERA in 13 appearances (10 starts) all-time against Houston.

WALK-OFFS
1. With a win in the opener, Houston (60-46) can move 15 games over .500 for the first time since finishing the 2005 campaign with an 89-73 mark.
2. Two of LF Josh Hamilton’s five home runs since making his season debut with the Rangers on May 25 have come in the last four games.
3. The Astros activated RH Mike Fiers on Sunday after acquiring him and CF Carlos Gomez from Milwaukee on Thursday. Fiers will start Tuesday.

PREDICTION: Rangers 4, Astros 3