Series Preview 31 (of 52): Rangers Visit Houston (x3)

The Houston Astros host the Texas Rangers for a three-game series to close out the pre-All-Star portion of the regular season.

The Astros and Rangers have already played two series this season, with the Astros winning four of seven games in the first half of April. After that three-game series, the Astros will travel to Arlington for three games between Aug. 5-7.

In the last meeting between the two teams, on April 14, Houston won 8-5 to improve to 6-11 on the season. Jose Altuve (4, 5) homered twice and led Houston’s offense with three total hits, while Chas McCormick and Jeremy Peña also finished with multiple hits. Cristian Javier (2-0, 1.54) earned the win with seven two-run innings. He allowed five hits and two walks, striking out five batters and going 62 of 89 pitches in the dark.

We know what team we have. We know what preparation we have for each game. These guys have been around a long time, so there’s never any panic with them, and if there’s a team that knows how to get things done, it’s this one. — Peña

Game schedules and starting pitchers

Friday, 7:10 p.m. CT: Andrew Heaney (3-9, 3.80) vs. Hunter Brown (6-6, 4.48)
Saturday, 3:10 p.m. CT: Nathan Eovaldi (6-3, 3.10) vs. Spencer Arrighetti (4-7, 5.96)
Sunday, 1:10 p.m. CT: TBD vs. Ronel Blanco (9-3, 2.53)

Ranking

Houston Astros: 49-44, .527, second in American League West, 2 GB. Eighth in American League, 2.5 GB in wild-card race. Twelfth in MLB. On the way to 85-77. FanGraphs projection at 86-76. Last 10 games: WLWWWLLWWW. Playoff odds: 61.2 percent

Texas Rangers: 44-49, 473, third in American League West, 7 GB. Eleventh in American League, 7.5 GB in wild-card race. Twenty-third in MLB. On the way to 77-85. FanGraphs projection at 80-82. Last 10: WWLLWWWWWL. Playoff odds: 9.3 percent.

With a winning streak, the Astros can enter the second half of the season six or more games above .500. Pretty good for a team that started 7-19. They’re 42-25 since then.