Two of this season’s stingiest pitchers go head-to-head at Minute Maid Park on Wednesday as Zac Gallen and the Arizona Diamondbacks (-145) take on Justin Verlander and the Houston Astros (+125) with the home team eyeing a sweep of the two-game Interleague series. Expect a low-scoring affair with the early total at 6.5. The Astros (102-53) took Tuesday’s series opener 10-2, their third straight victory overall and second in three games against the Diamondbacks this season. Starter Luis Garcia went six innings, giving up one run on four hits and striking out six, to get the win. Jose Altuve went 3 for 4 with two home runs and a double in the win. He scored four runs. Kyle Tucker added one run on two hits and two walks. Geraldo Perdomo was 1 for 2 with a solo home run for the Diamondbacks (71-84).
ON THE MOUND
Gallen (12-3, 2.52 ERA) is slated to start for Arizona. The right-hander ranks third in the NL in ERA. Gallen allowed one run over eight innings in his last start, a 3-2 road defeat against the Dodgers on Thursday. He yielded two hits while striking out 13 in the no-decision. Gallen is making his first appearance against the Astros this season. Gallen made one start against the Astros in 2021, a 7-6 road loss on September 19. He surrendered four runs on five hits over six innings, striking out seven and walking one. Right-hander Verlander (17-4, 1.82 ERA) gets the start for Houston. It’s his first appearance of the season against the Diamondbacks. In his last start on Thursday, Verlander took the loss on the road against the Orioles. He threw six innings and gave up two runs on six hits, striking out four, in the 2-0 defeat. The right-hander leads MLB in ERA. He also shares the AL lead in wins.
AT THE PLATE
Over the last five games, Arizona has averaged only 3.2 runs a game, down from their season average of 4.3, while performing worse across the board (.209/.267/.337). Against righties like Verlander this season, the D-backs have a .705 OPS. Daulton Varsho is the team’s best performer against right-handers with a .814 OPS in 389 at-bats. Houston is averaging 5.4 runs per game in the last five, up slightly from 4.6 for the season. The ‘Stros have a .724 OPS against right-handers in 2022. With a .886 OPS over 339 at-bats, Alex Bregman has been their best hitter against right-handers.
HOME AND AWAY
Arizona is 31-43 in away games in 2022, scoring 4.3 runs per game while allowing 4.7 runs. Houston has gone 51-23 at their home ballpark this season, averaging 4.7 runs per game while surrendering 3.2. Houston is 7-3 in the last 10 games between the teams at Minute Maid Park with an average scoreline of 5.1-3.9.
STANDINGS UPDATE
The Astros lead the AL West by 18 games over the Mariners. The Diamondbacks are fourth in the NL West, 35 games behind the Dodgers. They are sixth in the Wild Card race, 15 games out of third.
SportsTips’ MLB Pick:
Houston Astros (-190)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
