Astros: Previewing the road series against the Dodgers

Here’s what you need to know about the Houston Astros road series against the Dodgers.

For the first time since the Joe Kelly dustup, the Houston Astros and Los Angeles Dodgers will meet for a series. This time they’ll play two games at Dodger Stadium, and the teams are coming into the matchup in very different fashion.

The Dodgers have the best record and run differential in the major leagues and are 7-3 in their last 10 games. The Astros, meanwhile, are 1-8 on this road trip and have fallen below .500 for the season. The Dodgers are in an enviable position, while the Astros are nearly desperate for wins.

It’s going to be a tough matchup to be sure, and the Dodgers had the Astros’ number last time. Houston will try to avoid getting swept as they were at Minute Maid Park back in late July. It’s a tall order against this stacked roster, though.

Tonight’s game will begin at 7:07 p.m. CT, with Sunday’s starting at 7:08 p.m. Both games will be broadcast nationally, with tonight’s game showing on FOX and Sunday’s on ESPN. There’s plenty of interest in this rematch of the 2017 World Series, though Kelly himself will miss it, as he’s serving his suspension for throwing at Houston hitters earlier this year.

Pitching Matchups

Tonight’s opener will feature a pair of lefthanders as Framber Valdez takes on Julio Urias. Valdez is 3-3 with a 3.61 ERA this season and is looking to rebound after allowing eight runs in seven innings in his last start. Urias is 3-0 with a 3.86 ERA this year and allowed four runs in 4.1 innings in his last outing.

Zack Greinke will toe the rubber on Sunday, though his opponent has not been announced. Greinke is 3-1 with a 3.27 ERA after allowing four runs in six innings in his last start. Sunday would have been Walker Buehler’s turn in the rotation, but he’s now on the IL, so the Dodgers will find someone else to take his start.

Players to Watch

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Take your pick. For the Dodgers we’ll go with their team leader in OPS, Mookie Betts. He also leads the team in home runs, RBIs, runs scored and hits, is tied for the lead in stolen bases and tied for second in walks. The guy does everything.

For the Astros, let’s see what Kyle Tucker does. He went quiet against Oakland after being on a tear for a couple of weeks, so we’ll see if he can bounce back against this stout Dodgers pitching staff. Someone will have to step up offensively if this team is going to win.

Astros Expectations

At this point, just splitting this series would be a huge victory for this team. Considering the recent struggles, expecting a sweep of the best team in the game on the road just isn’t realistic. The Astros, frankly, will be lucky to not get swept themselves.

The good news is this is the last series of this road trip, and the Astros will get a day off on Monday before hosting the Rangers beginning Tuesday. The schedule is much more favorable once this series is done, so they’ll just have to put up a respectable showing and get out of Los Angeles intact.