Houston Astros Host New York Mets — Series Preview

Tonight at 7:10 PM CT, the Houston Astros will host the New York Mets at Minute Maid Park.

Houston has won four of their last 14 games. In their most recent series, they were swept in three games by the Cincinnati Reds to land at 39-33, now in third in the American League West Division. Yesterday’s contest would see the Astros claw back to force extra innings before Seth Martinez (1-3, 3.77) gave up three unearned runs in the 10th inning. Yainer Diaz and Alex Bregman each collected three hits, Kyle Tucker and Chas McCormick had two apiece, and Corey Julks (6) went deep leading off the second inning.

The New York Mets, also expected to contend, have also struggled. They’ve earned three victories in their last 14 contests, including their last game, an 8-7 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals. Brandon Nimmo led New York’s offense with a single and a double. Francisco Lindor and Tommy Pham each went deep.

The Astros and the Mets last faced off in a pair of two-game series in 2022. Houston won all four by a combined 24-6 score. In the most recent of those, on June 29, Justin Verlander struck out six over eight shutout innings in a 2-0 Astros win. This game is also notable as Jason Castro’s last. Castro hit his 97th career tater in his final at bat, going two-for-four.

Standings

Houston Astros: 39-33, .542, third in the AL West, 5.5 games behind first. tied with the New York Yankees for the fifth and sixth best-record (and second and third-wild card) in the AL. On pace for 88-74. Tied for ninth in the majors. Last 10: LLWLWWLLLL. Playoff Odds: 68.2 percent B/R.

New York Mets: 33-38, .465, fourth in the NL West, 12.5 games behind first Tied for 11th in the NL, 5.5 games behind the final wildcard spot. Tied for 22nd in MLB. On pace for 75-87. Last 10: LLLWLLWWLL. Playoff Odds: 12.6 percent.

Gametime and Starting Pitchers
Tonight at 7:10 PM CT — Max Scherzer (5-2, 4.45) vs. Hunter Brown (6-3, 3.35)
Tomorrow at 7:10 PM CT — TBD vs Framber Valdez (6-5)
Wednesday at 1:10 PM Ct — TBD vs Cristian Javier (7-1, 2.90)

Common Thread

Justin Verlander spent five-and-a-half years with Houston, going 61-19 with a 2.26 ERA, a 0.833 WHIP, and 825 K’s in 652 innings for 11.4 K/9.