Houston Astros (9-9, fourth in the AL West) vs. Texas Rangers (6-12, fifth in the AL West)
Arlington, Texas; Thursday, 2:05 p.m. EDT
PITCHING PROBABLES: Astros: Justin Verlander (1-1, 1.89 ERA, .74 WHIP, 20 strikeouts); Rangers: Martin Perez (0-2, 3.86 ERA, 1.36 WHIP, 12 strikeouts)
LINE: Astros -168, Rangers +144; over/under is 8 runs
BOTTOM LINE: The Houston Astros meet the Texas Rangers with a 2-1 series lead.
Texas has gone 2-7 in home games and 6-12 overall. The Rangers have gone 0-2 in games decided by one run.
Houston is 9-9 overall and 2-4 at home. The Astros have a 6-0 record in games when they out-hit their opponents.
The teams match up Thursday for the fourth time this season.
TOP PERFORMERS: Adolis Garcia leads the Rangers with seven extra base hits (four doubles and three home runs). Andy Ibanez is 4-for-20 with a double, a home run and two RBI over the last 10 games.
Alex Bregman has three doubles and three home runs for the Astros. Michael Brantley is 13-for-37 with a double, two home runs and five RBI over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Rangers: 4-6, .212 batting average, 3.83 ERA, outscored by three runs
Astros: 4-6, .205 batting average, 4.25 ERA, outscored by 11 runs
INJURIES: Rangers: Spencer Patton: 10-Day IL (oblique), Jon Gray: 10-Day IL (knee), Josh Sborz: 10-Day IL (elbow), Jose Leclerc: 60-Day IL (elbow), Jonathan Hernandez: 60-Day IL (elbow)
Astros: Jose Siri: day-to-day (), Jose Altuve: 10-Day IL (hamstring), Taylor Jones: 60-Day IL (back), Lance McCullers Jr.: 60-Day IL (forearm), Ryan Pressly: 10-Day IL (knee), Jacob Meyers: 10-Day IL (shoulder)
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