Dallas Keuchel (7-1, 1.76 ERA) and the Houston Astros (34-20) square off against Wei-Yin Chen (1-4, 3.21 ERA) and the Baltimore Orioles (23-29) in a game that has the potential to be low scoring. This is the last of a four-game series at Minute Maid Park. The Orioles lost the last game 3-1, continuing a five-game losing streak. Houston can finish out the series sweep with a win in this game. Action begins at 2:10 p.m. ET on Thursday, Jun. 4 and can be seen on MASN, ROOT-SW and MLB Net.
Keuchel pitched 9.0 innings in his most recent start, surrendering zero runs and striking out 11 in a 3-0 win over the White Sox. George Springer (.231, 26 Rs, 8 HRs, 19 RBIs, 11 SBs) had another good game yesterday, going 2 for 3 with one run, one home run, and one RBI. Chen is 3-0 with a 3.28 ERA when pitching against the Astros. He is up against a below-average Houston offense which is hitting just .237 this season. Adam Jones (.297, 24 Rs, 6 HRs, 26 RBIs, 3 SBs) has been successful at the plate, going 2 for 4 yesterday with one run.
Houston is a -145 favorite against Baltimore and the Over/Under (O/U) for this game is sitting at seven runs. The Astros have an overall money line of +1,251 and a record as the favorite of 14-11. The Astros are one of the best in the MLB in terms of extra base hits with 173. Houston is one of the best in the MLB in terms of steals, swiping 44 bases. As for the pitchers, the Astros are the top team in the league at limiting hits and walks to their opponents, recording a WHIP of 1.13 so far this season. Opponents have consistently been struck out by the Astros, who rank fifth in the AL in strikeouts per game with 7.7.
Over in the other dugout, Baltimore is coming in with an overall money line of -643 and a disappointing record of 7-16 as the underdog. They have been on a bit of a dry streak over their last 10 games. They managed a 0-3 record when playing as the underdog. Offensively, the Orioles have really sputtered in the last 10 games. They have decreased their season average of 4.2 runs per game by averaging 3.1 during that stretch. When it comes to preventing batters from getting hits, the Orioles are fifth in the AL on the road with an average of 8.1 hits allowed per away game.
The Astros lead the season series, 4-2. The Astros have a 12-9 record against left-handed starting pitchers on the year, which is what they’ll be facing when Chen takes the mound. Keuchel (LHP) will be on the hill against the Orioles, who have a 4-6 record against left-handed starting pitchers.
Predictions: SU Winner – HOU, O/U – Over
Notes
When the Astros play into extra innings, they have a 3-2 record. The Orioles are 1-1 when their games exceed nine innings.
Having scored one run in their last game, the Orioles are going to have to up their game if they want to win this matchup. The Astros have an 8-0 record in games where opponents scored that many runs or fewer.
When they are outhit, the Orioles are 4-19. The Astros have a 9-12 record when opponents outhit them.
Ranking first in home runs, Houston has hit 74 this season. Baltimore ranks ninth with 57 home runs.
Ranking 13th, Houston is in the top half of the league in hits, notching 7.96 per game. Baltimore ranks in the top 10 at eighth with 8.39.
Houston and Baltimore both rank in the top half of the league for their on-base plus slugging percentage. Houston sits at 11th with an OPS of .725 and Baltimore ranks 15th with an OPS of .709.
The Orioles are 13-21 in games where they allow one or more home runs. The Astros are 12-13 when they allow at least one homer.
