The Houston Astros (104-55), one of the highest-scoring offenses in the AL, are set to host the Philadelphia Phillies (86-73) at Minute Maid Park on Monday to open a three-game Interleague series. The Phillies are kicking off the final series of their 10-game road trip. They won three out of four in their last series against the Nationals, taking the finale 8-1 on Sunday at Nationals Park. Jean Segura was 2 for 2 with two runs. J.T. Realmuto added a solo home run. The Astros are in the midst of an eight-game homestand. They won two of three against the Rays in their last series, taking the finale 3-1 on Sunday at Minute Maid Park. Jeremy Pena went 3 for 4 with a home run and three RBIs. The teams are meeting for the first time since July 26, 2017, when the Phillies avoided a three-game series sweep with a 9-0 win at Citizens Bank Park.
ON THE MOUND
Aaron Nola (10-13, 3.36 ERA) is slated to get the start for Philadelphia. The right-hander ranks third in the NL in strikeouts (226). Nola allowed four runs over six innings in his last start, a 4-2 road defeat against the Cubs on Wednesday. He was charged with the loss, yielding five hits while striking out eight. For Houston, righty Lance McCullers Jr. (4-1, 2.38 ERA) will take the mound. In his last start on September 21, McCullers Jr. got the win on the road against the Rays. He threw seven innings and gave up two runs on six hits, striking out eight and walking two in the 5-2 triumph.
AT THE PLATE
The Philadelphia offense is averaging 4.7 runs per game for the season, with a slash line of .254/.317/.423. Realmuto leads the team in OPS at .815. The catcher is slashing .275/.341/.475 with 22 home runs, 84 RBIs, and 75 runs over 137 games. Against righties like McCullers Jr. this season, the Phils have a .729 OPS. Kyle Schwarber is the team’s best performer against right-handers with a .878 OPS in 377 at-bats. Houston is slashing .246/.319/.422 for the season and averaging 4.6 runs per game, third best in the AL. Four Astros hitters have an OPS of .800 or better, led by Yordan Alvarez (1.017). The left fielder has 37 home runs, 96 RBIs, and 93 runs scored with a slash line of .303/.405/.612. The ‘Stros have a .727 OPS against right-handers in 2022. With a .890 OPS over 352 at-bats, Alex Bregman has been their best hitter against right-handers.
HOME AND AWAY
Philadelphia is 39-39 in road games in 2022, scoring 4.4 runs per game while allowing 4.3 runs. Houston has gone 53-25 at Minute Maid Park this season, averaging 4.6 runs per game while surrendering 3.2. The teams have split their last 10 meetings head-to-head at Minute Maid Park, though Philadelphia has the scoring advantage with an average final margin of 4.5-4.1.
STANDINGS UPDATE
The Phillies are third in the NL East, 14 games behind the division-leading Braves. They currently occupy one of the Wild Card spots, sitting third with a magic number of zero. The Astros lead the AL West by 15 games over the Mariners.
SportsTips’ MLB Pick:
Houston Astros (-125)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
