Baltimore Orioles (65-59, fourth in the AL East) vs. Houston Astros (81-45, first in the AL West)
Houston; Friday, 8:10 p.m. EDT
PITCHING PROBABLES: Orioles: Kyle Bradish (1-5, 6.25 ERA, 1.65 WHIP, 73 strikeouts); Astros: Lance McCullers Jr. (1-1, 2.45 ERA, 1.46 WHIP, 11 strikeouts)
FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK LINE: Astros -229, Orioles +185; over/under is 8 1/2 runs
BOTTOM LINE: The Houston Astros begin a three-game series at home against the Baltimore Orioles on Friday.
Houston has gone 42-18 in home games and 81-45 overall. The Astros have the third-ranked team on-base percentage in the AL at .319.
Baltimore has a 28-35 record on the road and a 65-59 record overall. The Orioles have the seventh-ranked team slugging percentage in the AL at .392.
Friday's game is the first time these teams square off this season.
TOP PERFORMERS: Alex Bregman has 34 doubles and 19 home runs for the Astros. Kyle Tucker is 14-for-38 with five doubles and a home run over the past 10 games.
Anthony Santander is second on the Orioles with 42 extra base hits (20 doubles and 22 home runs). Ryan Mountcastle is 9-for-39 with three home runs and 10 RBI over the past 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Astros: 6-4, .284 batting average, 3.58 ERA, outscored opponents by 17 runs
Orioles: 6-4, .232 batting average, 3.56 ERA, outscored opponents by seven runs
INJURIES: Astros: Ryan Pressly: 15-Day IL (neck), Kyle Tucker: day-to-day (foot), Chas McCormick: day-to-day (finger), Aledmys Diaz: 10-Day IL (groin), Michael Brantley: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Jason Castro: 60-Day IL (knee), Blake Taylor: 60-Day IL (elbow), Josh James: 60-Day IL (lat)
Orioles: Tyler Wells: 15-Day IL (side), Travis Lakins: 60-Day IL (elbow), Alexander Wells: 60-Day IL (elbow), Chris Ellis: 60-Day IL (shoulder), John Means: 60-Day IL (elbow)
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
