Baltimore Orioles (19-43, fifth in the AL East) vs. Houston Astros (43-21, first in the AL West)
Houston; Friday, 8 p.m. EDT
PITCHING PROBABLES: Orioles: Gabriel Ynoa (0-2, 5.06 ERA, 1.54 WHIP, 26 strikeouts) Astros: Gerrit Cole (5-5, 3.94 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, 116 strikeouts)
BOTTOM LINE: Houston hosts Baltimore to begin a three game series.
The Astros are 22-8 in home games. Houston has an MLB-leading team on-base percentage of .344. Alex Bregman leads the team with an OBP of .396.
The Orioles are 11-20 on the road. Baltimore has a collective .239 this season, led by Hanser Alberto with an average of .308. This is the first game between these teams in 2019.
TOP PERFORMERS: Michael Brantley leads the Astros with 78 hits and is batting .329. Bregman is 15-for-41 with three doubles, three home runs and nine RBIs over the last 10 games for Houston.
Renato Nunez leads the Orioles with 15 home runs home runs and is slugging .491. Dwight Smith Jr. is 4-for-35 with a double, two home runs and 11 RBIs over the last 10 games for Baltimore.
LAST 10 GAMES: Astros: 8-2, .252 batting average, 4.36 ERA, outscored opponents by six runs
Orioles: 3-7, .233 batting average, 4.93 ERA, outscored by 15 runs
Astros Injuries: Joe Smith: 10-day IL (achilles), Collin McHugh: 10-day IL (elbow), Lance McCullers Jr.: 10-day IL (elbow), George Springer: 10-day IL (hamstring), Aledmys Diaz: 10-day IL (hamstring), Carlos Correa: 10-day IL (rib), Jose Altuve: 10-day IL (hamstring), Max Stassi: 10-day IL (knee).
Orioles Injuries: Nate Karns: 60-day IL (forearm), Alex Cobb: 60-day IL (lumbar strain), DJ Stewart: 10-day IL (ankle), Dwight Smith Jr.: day-to-day (shoulder/head), Jonathan Villar: day-to-day (thumb), Mark Trumbo: 60-day IL (knee), Pedro Severino: day-to-day (head).
