Pirates and Astros play to determine series winner
Houston Astros (5-7, third in the AL West) vs. Pittsburgh Pirates (7-4, second in the NL Central)
Pittsburgh; Wednesday, 12:35 p.m. EDT
PITCHING PROBABLES: Astros: Jose Urquidy (0-0); Pirates: Rich Hill (0-0)
FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK MLB LINE: Astros -161, Pirates +138; over/under is 9 runs
BOTTOM LINE: Both the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Houston Astros are looking for a series win with a victory on Wednesday.
Pittsburgh has gone 3-2 in home games and 7-4 overall. The Pirates rank eighth in MLB play with 15 total home runs, averaging 1.4 per game.
Houston is 2-3 on the road and 5-7 overall. The Astros have the 10th-ranked team slugging percentage in the AL at .376.
Wednesday's game is the third time these teams square off this season.
TOP PERFORMERS:
LAST 10 GAMES: Pirates: 6-4, .000 batting average, 4.81 ERA, outscored by three runs
Astros: 4-6, .000 batting average, 4.29 ERA, outscored opponents by four runs
INJURIES: Pirates: Oneil Cruz: 60-Day IL (ankle), Austin Hedges: 7-Day IL (concussion), JT Brubaker: 60-Day IL (elbow), Robert Stephenson: 15-Day IL (elbow), Jarlin Garcia: 60-Day IL (arm), Max Kranick: 60-Day IL (elbow)
Astros: Parker Mushinski: 15-Day IL (spine), Michael Brantley: 10-Day IL (shoulder), Lance McCullers Jr.: 15-Day IL (elbow), Jose Altuve: 10-Day IL (thumb)
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.