Houston Astros (3-3) vs. Kansas City Royals (2-3), April 9, 2017, 1:10 PM CDT

TV: ROOTSW
Radio: KBME 790AM, La Nueva 94.1 FM
Online: MLB.TV
Royals SBNation Blog: Royals Review

Pitching Matchup

RHP Lance McCullers Jr. (1-0, 1.50 ERA, 1.17 WHIP) vs. RHP Nathan Karns (0-0, 54.00 ERA, 6.00 WHIP (0.2 IP)

Preview

Welp. So much for the strong start for the Astros. After a 3-0 start, Houston is now back to .500. And frankly, the good times have been fewer than the bad thus far.

The one constant thing that has been successful thus far has been the starting pitching for the Astros. The Astros lead the league with five quality starts through six games.

That streak is likely to continue with today’s starter Lance McCullers Jr.

McCullers is been great at Minute Maid Park in his three-year career, he is 10-4 with a 2.09 ERA in 21 starts. He makes his second start at home in 2017 after allowing one earned run over six innings against the Mariners.

McCullers faces the Royals for the first time since his ALDS start in 2015, in which a celebration ruffled some of the Royals players and fans.

The Texas Tech product Nathan Karns makes his first start of the 2017 season after making a relief appearance on Thursday, he allowed four runs on two hits and two walks against the Twins.

Karns is 1-0 with a 2.88 ERA in six games (three starts) against the Astros in his career. He faced the Astros five times (two starts) in 2016, he was 1-0 with a 3.32 ERA.

Matchup to watch: Josh Reddick vs. Nathan Karns

Josh Reddick has had plenty of success against today's Royals starter. He is 3-for-8 with a home run and two walks.