Houston (84-75) moved a half-game ahead of the Los Angeles Angels for the second American League wild-card spot with a nerve-wracking victory over Seattle on Wednesday. The Astros will look to stretch that advantage even further when they take on the Arizona Diamondbacks (47-50) in the opening game of their final regular-season series tonight.
Who will emerge victorious in this American League matchup? Read on below for an in-depth breakdown of this pivotal ballgame and while you’re at it you can check out our MLB previews of Cincinnati vs. Pittsburgh and LA Angels vs. Texas.
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Houston Astros vs. Arizona Diamondbacks Preview
Where: Chase Field, Phoenix, Arizona
When: Friday, October 2, 9:40 PM ET
Line: Houston Astros (-160) at Arizona Diamondbacks (+145); total: 8.0 – view all MLB lines
Betting on the Houston Astros
The Houston Astros returned to winning ways Wednesday with a thrilling 7-6 victory against the Seattle Mariners. Colby Rasmus’ broken-bat RBI single capped the Astros’ rally from a three-run deficit, and the bullpen hung on to preserve the all-important victory. It was a huge win for Houston who moved back ahead of the Los Angeles Angels in the race for the second and final wild card spot in the American League.
[sc:MLB240banner ]They will look to keep the momentum going later tonight when they take on the Arizona Diamondbacks in a critical clash at Chase Field. Pitching for the Astros this evening is left-hander Dallas Keuchel (19-8, 2.47 ERA). He is trying to become the eighth pitcher in club history to win 20 games in a single season. Keuchel went 15-0 at home this season, but is just 4-8 with a 3.82 ERA in 14 road starts this year. The Astros are 6-8 in those said road games. In fact, he struggled mightily in his last road outing, allowing nine runs on 11 hits in just 4.2 innings of action in Houston’s 14-3 loss to Texas on September 16.
Keuchel will take heart in the fact, though, that he has rebounded strongly from that atrocious showing. He has surrendered just two earned runs in his last two starts against Texas and Los Angeles (14.2 innings of work). A main source of concern, though, for Keuchel heading into tonight’s ballgame is Houston’s woeful road form. The Astros’ .390 win percentage on the road is the fifth lowest in the majors this season.
That being said, the Astros will still fancy their chances against the D-Backs as they have fared extremely well against them of late. Houston has a .714 win percentage against Arizona since 2011.
The Arizona Diamondbacks extended their winning streak to four games with an 8-6 victory over the Colorado Rockies on Thursday. With the win, the D-Backs clinched third place in the NL West behind the division-winning Los Angeles Dodgers and runner-up San Francisco Giants. The Nationals will look to stretch their unbeaten run even further when they take on the Houston Astros in their series opener tonight.
Starting for Arizona this evening is right-hander Rubby De La Rosa (14-8, 4.56 ERA). He gave up two runs on four hits and three walks across 5.2 innings in a 6-3 win over the San Diego Padres on Friday. He has been a workhorse for the D-Backs this campaign, throwing a career-high 185.2 innings this season. The D-Backs are 2-0 in his last two starts. He will fancy his chances against the Astros as he has already beaten them once this season. De La Rosa allowed four runs on eight hits in six innings of action in Arizona’s 6-4 win over Houston on July 31.
That being said, he still needs the Arizona hitters to pull their weight offensively tonight. The D-Backs are second in the National League in runs batted in with 662 to their name. Expected to lead the D-Backs attack tonight is Phil Gosselin. The second baseman is hitting .556 in his last five games with a walk and two RBIs.
The D-Backs are 4-1 in their last five home games.
