An outstanding three-start stretch has put Corey Kluber back in the discussion of the game's premier pitchers, and there's reason to believe that run could continue.
Kluber looks to extend the Cleveland Indians' recent success when he takes the mound Monday night against a Houston Astros team he's dominated over his career.
Coverage begins at 7:30 p.m. on SportsTime Ohio
A notoriously slow starter, Kluber (2-3, 3.35 ERA) allowed 13 runs in 19 innings while losing his first three outings. He's looked more like the pitcher that won the 2014 AL Cy Young of late, yielding just three earned runs and 12 hits through 24 innings over his last three.
The best of those starts came Wednesday against Detroit with a five-hitter in a 4-0 win that improved Kluber to 9-5 with a 3.00 ERA in May. He's 5-9 with a 4.00 ERA in 19 career appearances in April.
''The way he threw the ball bodes well for him moving forward,'' Indians manager Terry Francona said. ''That was really fun to watch.''
The time of year hasn't mattered much in Kluber's past matchups with the Astros, as he's 4-1 with a 1.48 ERA in four starts and one relief appearance. He allowed five hits and struck out seven in the most recent, a 2-0 win in Cleveland on July 7.
Cleveland (15-13) enters this three-game series off Sunday's 5-4 comeback victory over Kansas City, completing a 5-1 homestand against the Royals and fellow AL Central rival Detroit.
"It's huge, especially against division rivals," reliever Bryan Shaw told MLB's official website. "Obviously, we've struggled a little with a lot of these guys the past couple of years. It's good to get some wins against these guys."
The Indians are just 5-9 outside the division but have fared well against the Astros over the years, winning seven of their last nine at Minute Maid Park and eight of 10 overall.
Houston (12-20) also ended its last series on a high note, receiving seven sharp innings from Collin McHugh in Sunday's 5-1 win over Seattle. The Astros split the four-game set and moved to 4-3 on a 10-game homestand.
''Collin was as in control of this game as any of our starting pitchers have been this entire season,'' manager A.J. Hinch said.
Jose Altuve and Marwin Gonzalez continued their hot hitting with two hits each. Altuve is 9 for 17 with five RBIs and eight runs scored over his last five games and Gonzalez 6 for 12 with a home run and three RBIs in his past three.
Gonzalez is one of few Astros who've handled Kluber, going 3 for 8 in their matchups.
Most of Cleveland's lineup will get their first look at Mike Fiers (2-1, 5.35), who aims to improve off a disappointing start. The right-hander was reached for four runs and nine hits over 4 2/3 innings in Wednesday's 16-4 rout of Minnesota.
Fiers was considerably better in his previous assignment, holding Oakland to two runs over seven innings on April 29.
Cleveland's Francisco Lindor is hitting .433 over an eight-game stretch and Mike Napoli has nine RBIs in his last six after homering Sunday.
