This story was originally published by Dead Spin
After a four-game sweep of the Kansas City Royals last weekend, the Astros went into a brief road trip to Cincinnati a season-high 13 games over .500 and enjoying a six-game lead in the American League West.
But now the Astros (75-65) return to Houston to face the Arizona Diamondbacks (79-62) and attempt to reclaim the momentum they surrendered in a sweep by the Reds. The opener of a three-game series against the Diamondbacks on Friday is the start of a critical six-game homestand for the Astros, who are trying to fend off the Seattle Mariners in the division while pursuing a higher seed in the postseason picture.
“Not the way we wanted,” Astros manager Joe Espada said after a 1-0 loss on Thursday capped the winless road trip. “We’ve got to put it behind us and get ready for the Diamondbacks.”
The Astros are hopeful All-Star right fielder Kyle Tucker will return this weekend. He has been sidelined after suffering a right shin fracture June 3 and, given the erratic play of their outfield in his absence, the Astros are in desperate need of his bat. Houston finished 5-for-23 with runners in scoring position in the series against the Reds.
“We had a few opportunities the last couple of days and you’ve got to capitalize when a team gives you chances like that,” Espada said. “When you play low-scoring games, you better capitalize, and we didn’t.”
Left-hander Framber Valdez (13-6, 3.11 ERA) has the starting assignment for the Astros on Friday. Despite throwing seven no-hit innings at the Kansas City Royals on Aug. 30 while issuing three walks and recording seven strikeouts, Valdez did not factor into the decision of a 3-2 home victory. That marked his second consecutive start without a winning decision after a stretch of eight successive victories over a 10-start stretch during which Valdez produced a 2.39 ERA.
Valdez made his lone appearance against the Diamondbacks on April 13, 2022, when he allowed one run on two hits and five walks with three strikeouts over three innings in the Astros’ 3-2 road loss. Valdez did not factor into that decision. He is 13-9 with a 3.64 ERA over 28 career interleague starts.
Right-hander Brandon Pfaadt (9-7, 4.32) is the scheduled starter for the Diamondbacks. He improved to 6-1 with a 4.58 ERA over his past nine starts after limiting the Los Angeles Dodgers to three runs on eight hits and two walks with 10 strikeouts over 5 2/3 innings in a 14-3 victory on Sunday. That win marked his fifth consecutive decision, with Pfaadt notching four victories in that stretch despite posting a 5.90 ERA and .808 opponent OPS.
Pfaadt will make his first career start against the Astros. He is 3-5 with a 5.56 ERA over 13 career starts against the American League.
Despite their walk-off, 3-2 loss to the San Francisco Giants on Thursday, the Diamondbacks have won 12 of their past 15 series. At 40-31 on the road, the Diamondbacks are pursuing their first season finishing 10-plus games above .500 on the road since 1999, when Arizona went 48-33 away from home.
–Field Level Media
