Justin Verlander, one of this season’s toughest pitchers, is set to take the mound for the Houston Astros (104-56) as they host the Philadelphia Phillies (87-73) at Minute Maid Park on Tuesday. The Phillies took Monday’s series opener 3-0. Aaron Nola threw 6.2 scoreless innings – striking out nine – for the win, and Zach Eflin picked up his first save of the season with a scoreless ninth. Kyle Schwarber was 2 for 3 with two solo home runs in the win. Bryson Stott went 3 for 3 with a solo home run and a double. David Hensley went 1 for 1 for the Astros.
ON THE MOUND
Ranger Suarez (10-6, 3.38 ERA) is slated to start for Philadelphia. The left-hander allowed two runs over six innings in his last start, a 2-0 home defeat against the Cubs on Thursday. He took the loss, giving up seven hits while striking out five and walking one. For Houston, righty Verlander (17-4, 1.80 ERA) gets the start. It’s his first appearance of the season against the Phillies. In his last start on Wednesday, Verlander took a no-decision at home against the Diamondbacks. He threw seven innings and gave up two runs (1 ER) on six hits, striking out eight and walking one in the 5-2 loss. The right-hander leads MLB in ERA. He also shares the AL lead in wins.
AT THE PLATE
Over the last five games, Philadelphia has averaged 5.6 runs a game, a small gain compared to their season average of 4.7. Against righties like Verlander this season, the Phils have a .731 OPS. Schwarber is the team’s most potent producer against right-handers with a .900 OPS in 380 at-bats. Houston is averaging only 2.0 runs per game in the last five, down from 4.5 for the season, with their slash line falling across the board (.199/.223/.317). The ‘Stros have a .771 OPS against southpaws in 2022. With a 1.066 OPS over 139 at-bats, Jose Altuve has been their best hitter against left-handers.
HOME AND AWAY
Philadelphia is on a three-game winning streak on the road, bringing their record to 40-39 in 2022. The Phils have scored 4.4 runs per game away from home, while allowing 4.3 runs. Houston has gone 53-26 at home this season, averaging 4.5 runs per game while surrendering 3.2. The teams have split their last 10 meetings head-to-head at Minute Maid Park, though Houston has the scoring advantage with an average final margin of 4.1-4.0.
STANDINGS UPDATE
The Phillies are third in the NL East, 13 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 16 games over the Mariners.
SportsTips’ MLB Pick:
Houston Astros
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
