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Astros: Game 76 Preview-Royals
By Cody Poage
Get your brooms ready, Astros fans! A rare road sweep of the Kansas City Royals could take place this afternoon!
Alright, excitement aside, the Astros have been good at baseball as of late. Like seven games in a row and 32-19 since May 1 level of good. After all, the Astros did just score 26 runs in two games against a Kansas City team that was 25-8 at home before this weekend.
By all accounts, the Astros are heating up at just the right time. Jose Altuve and George Springer have been the team’s best hitters all season long, and both are in the middle of a hot streak. The pitching has improved and A.J. Reed has been called up to the major league squad. There are many things to like about this team right now, and even though they are far from perfect the Astros are now inching closer to truly mattering in the AL playoff picture this season.
Game 3: RHP Doug Fister (8-3, 3.21 ERA) vs. RHP Ian Kennedy (5-6, 4.19 ERA)
The Astros will be sending out Doug Fister, who has been the team’s best starter thus far in 2016, to the mound to finish off the Kansas City Royals. He will be looking to avenge an earlier loss in the season to the Royals when he surrendered six runs, and also to extend his current win streak to five games.
On the other side, the Royals will be sending out veteran Ian Kennedy, the team’s big offseason acquisition signing this past winter. Kennedy will be facing the Astros for a second time this season. In his previous start, the right-hander pitched seven innings of two hit ball while allowing just one run in a victory back in April. Hopefully the hot Astros offense will prevent that from happening twice.
Next: Astros Minors: River Bandits Finish Last in First Half
If the Astros can get to Kennedy early, the offense will then get to face a Royals bullpen that has been stretched the past two days. And the way this lineup has been performing bodes well for the Astros chances of winning today. But don’t forget this is baseball, a sport that can quickly humble you.
**Statistics provided by Baseball-Reference & Fangraphs**