The Houston Astros continue their stretch of 17 straight games in Tampa, FL, where they take on the Tampa Bay Rays starting Monday.
This comes after escaping with the split in the 4-game set against Silver Boot rival Texas Rangers in Arlington thanks to some clutch hitting.
They head to Tampa for a three-game set at George M. Steinbrenner Field, where the Rays are playing their home games for the 2025 season after Hurricane Milton damaged Tropicana Field to the point that it was impossible to repair and prepare for the season.
Both teams are looking to gain ground in their respective divisions, especially the Rays, who sit six games back in the AL East.
Projected Pitchers
Mon. May 19 6:05 p.m. CT
HOU: LHP #61 Colton Gordon | 0-0 4.1 IP 6.23 ERA 2.08 WHIP 2 BB 3 K
TB: RHP #44 Ryan Pepiot | 2-5 50.1 IP 1.29 WHIP 13 BB 45 K
Tues. May 20 6:05 p.m. CT
HOU: TBD
TB: RHP #52 Zack Littell | 3-5 54.1 IP 4.31 ERA 1.12 WHIP 10 BB 32 K
Wed. May 21 12:05 p.m. CT
HOU: RHP #58 Hunter Brown | 6-2 56.2 IP 1.43 ERA 0.83 WHIP 14 BB 67 K
TB: RHP #45 Taj Bradley 3-3 50.2 IP 4.80 ERA 1.34 WHIP 22 BB 41 K
Quick Hit Notes
- While Christian Walker is still operating in a slow start, he hit the ball consistently hard in the Silver Boot series. With the 14 balls the Walker put in play, he averaged 98.87 mph exit velocity. This included a 3-run homer on Friday in the second game of the four-game set that left the bat at 104.1 mph and went 401 feet. However, he still went 3-for-15. It could be a matter of time before luck finally sides with Walker. But, he also struck out just once in the series.
- Isaac Paredes is hitting a slash line of .273/394/.491 with three home runs and 10 RBI over his last 15 games.
- Astros might get Yordan Alvarez back for this series as Astros manager Joe Espada has said during the team’s time in Arlington that it is “a matter of days.”
- The Astros announced Sunday that RHP Hayden Wesneski, acquired from the Chicago Cubs in the Kyle Tucker trade, will undergo Tommy John Surgery in Dallas. He is out for the season.
- Since the start of 2023, the Astros are 7-5 against the Rays.
Thoughts Heading In
The Houston Astros sit at 24-22, sitting 2.5 games back of the first-place Mariners of the AL West. The offense has been up and down still, so the pitching staff looks to continue its dominance to give help to the bats.
The Rays sport the 18th ranked offense in the MLB, so pitching on paper might not have too much trouble.
However, Gordon is making just his second MLB start on Monday and the Astros don’t have a starter announced for Tuesday.
The bats, however, could come alive in a park that is 318 feet down the left field line, 399 feet left-center, 408 feet dead center, 385 feet right-center, and 314 feet down the right field line.
Could be a place where the bats can find consistency before the dog days of summer.
- This author does not have any more posts
