Houston's Brantley puts 10-game hit streak on the line against Twins
Houston Astros (36-27, second in the AL West) vs. Minnesota Twins (25-38, fifth in the AL Central)
Minneapolis; Saturday, 7:15 p.m. EDT
PITCHING PROBABLES: Astros: Luis Garcia (5-3, 2.59 ERA, .97 WHIP, 68 strikeouts) Twins: Jose Berrios (6-2, 3.58 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, 73 strikeouts)
LINE: Twins -100, Astros -115; over/under is 9 runs
BOTTOM LINE: Minnesota and Houston will play on Saturday.
The Twins are 13-20 on their home turf. Minnesota has slugged .431, good for fourth in the American League. Nelson Cruz leads the club with a .538 slugging percentage, including 21 extra-base hits and 12 home runs.
The Astros are 16-14 on the road. The Houston offense has compiled a .272 batting average as a team this season, good for first in the American League. Yuli Gurriel leads the team with a mark of .333.
The Astros won the last meeting 6-4. Ryne Stanek earned his first victory and Jose Altuve went 1-for-4 with a home run and an RBI for Houston. Matt Shoemaker registered his eighth loss for Minnesota.
TOP PERFORMERS: Miguel Sano leads the Twins with 13 home runs and is slugging .442.
Altuve leads the Astros with 12 home runs and has 31 RBIs.
LAST 10 GAMES: Twins: 3-7, .267 batting average, 6.59 ERA, outscored by 21 runs
Astros: 7-3, .300 batting average, 3.38 ERA, outscored opponents by 21 runs
INJURIES: Twins: Caleb Thielbar: (groin), Devin Smeltzer: (elbow), Kenta Maeda: (groin), Edwar Colina: (right elbow), Shaun Anderson: (finger), Rob Refsnyder: (hamstring), Max Kepler: (hamstring), Kyle Garlick: (sports hernia), Jake Cave: (back), Byron Buxton: (hip), Luis Arraez: (shoulder), Mitch Garver: (groin).
Astros: Justin Verlander: (elbow), Joe Smith: (undisclosed), Austin Pruitt: (elbow), Enoli Paredes: (shoulder), Lance McCullers Jr.: (shoulder), Josh James: (hip), Kent Emanuel: (elbow), Pedro Baez: (right shoulder), Bryan Abreu: (calf), Aledmys Diaz: (hand), Jason Castro: (achilles).
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
