Athletics bring road losing streak into matchup against the Astros
Athletics (49-80, fifth in the AL West) vs. Houston Astros (65-64, first in the AL West)
Houston; Saturday, 7:10 p.m. EDT
PITCHING PROBABLES: Athletics: Jacob Lopez (5-4, 5.22 ERA, 1.53 WHIP, 81 strikeouts); Astros: Hunter Brown (3-3, 3.67 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, 72 strikeouts)
LINE: Astros -181, Athletics +159; over/under is 8 1/2 runs
BOTTOM LINE: The Athletics will look to break a five-game road skid when they face the Houston Astros.
Houston is 65-64 overall and 33-33 in home games. The Astros have a 44-27 record in games when they record at least eight hits.
The Athletics are 49-80 overall and 26-40 in road games. The Athletics have hit 153 total home runs to rank fifth in the AL.
Saturday's game is the eighth time these teams meet this season. The Astros hold a 4-3 advantage in the season series.
TOP PERFORMERS: Yordan Alvarez has 36 home runs, 87 walks and 90 RBI while hitting .321 for the Astros. Isaac Paredes is 14 for 36 with three doubles, a home run and eight RBI over the past 10 games.
Jeff McNeil has six home runs, 25 walks and 43 RBI while hitting .261 for the Athletics. Henry Bolte is 12 for 39 with a double, a home run and four RBI over the past 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Astros: 5-5, .216 batting average, 4.95 ERA, outscored by 14 runs
Athletics: 2-8, .242 batting average, 6.23 ERA, outscored by 21 runs
INJURIES: Astros: Jeremy Pena: day-to-day (hand), Mike Burrows: 15-Day IL (elbow), Brice Matthews: 60-Day IL (knee), Carlos Correa: 60-Day IL (ankle), Brandon Walter: 60-Day IL (elbow)
Athletics: Jacob Wilson: 10-Day IL (shoulder), Nick Kurtz: 60-Day IL (thumb), Tyler Soderstrom: 60-Day IL (hip), Josh Kuroda-Grauer: 10-Day IL (testicle), Brooks Kriske: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Denzel Clarke: 60-Day IL (foot), Justin Sterner: 60-Day IL (knee), Jose Suarez: 15-Day IL (hip), Mark Leiter Jr.: 60-Day IL (hip), Shea Langeliers: 10-Day IL (knee), Luis Severino: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Brent Rooker: 60-Day IL (knee), Gunnar Hoglund: 60-Day IL (knee)
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
