Houston @ Philadelphia preview
Citizens Bank Park
Last Meeting ( Mar 20, 2014 ) Philadelphia 6, Houston 3
Dallas Keuchel eyes a third straight dominant start Tuesday when the Houston Astros kick off a three-game road series against the Philadelphia Phillies. Keuchel allowed only two unearned runs in seven innings against Miami on July 25 before tossing a four-hitter five days later in a 8-1 triumph against the major league-leading Oakland Athletics. He will now take aim at a Philadelphia squad which has not scored in 21 innings.
The Phillies were outscored 15-0 in their final two games against Washington over the weekend after winning the first two games of their four-game set. The Astros essentially enjoyed the opposite weekend, taking the final three of a four-game series from Toronto by the combined margin of 17-4. Houston is trying to win four in a row for the first time since a seven-game run in late May.
TV: 7:05 p.m. ET, CSN Houston, CSN Philadelphia
PITCHING MATCHUP: Astros LH Dallas Keuchel (10-7, 2.97 ERA) vs. Phillies RH Kyle Kendrick (5-11, 4.92)
Keuchel has accounted for 10 of the Astros' 47 wins this season and has four of the team's five complete games. He has given up seven home runs in 136 1/3 innings, including only four in his last 17 starts. Keuchel's only career start against Philadelphia came in September 2012, when he tossed 5 1/3 scoreless innings in a 5-0 victory over Kendrick.
Kendrick has lost three of his last four starts, including an 11-2 setback against the New York Mets last week in which he surrendered four runs in six innings. The Houston native struck out four in that outing and has not punched out more than five in a start since late June. Jason Castro is 2-for-4 against Kendrick, who is 1-3 with a 5.33 ERA in six career outings (four starts) against Houston..
WALK-OFFS
1. Former Phillies prospect 1B Jon Singleton, now with the Astros, is 7-for-15 in his last four starts.
2. Houston 2B Jose Altuve has hit safely in 15 of his last 16 games and has struck out just twice in his last 10 contests.
3. Phillies 1B Ryan Howard is 1-for-25 over his last seven games.
PREDICTION: Astros 6, Phillies 4