Astros to Take on Royals in Hopes of Rebounding from Recent Losses
The Houston Astros, current champions of the MLB, will be facing off against the Kansas City Royals in a three-game series. As the Astros look to gain an advantage, they will be taking on teams that are currently at the bottom of the table.
The Astros (83-64) recently faced the Oakland Athletics in a three-game series at home, in which they unfortunately lost two of the games. Interestingly, both the A’s and the Royals are the only teams in the Major Leagues that have lost over 100 games this season.
Entering this series, the Houston Astros are leading the West American League with a one-game lead over the Texas Rangers and a game and a half ahead of the Seattle Mariners.
Although the Astros will not be facing the Rangers again during the regular season, they do have three games scheduled against the Seattle Mariners from September 25 to September 27, which will prove crucial in determining their final standings.
Before heading into the final series, the Astros have six games against the Kansas City Royals and another three against the Baltimore Orioles, who are leading the American League East Division.
A positive development for the Astros is the potential return of relief pitcher Ryne Stanek, who suffered an ankle injury on September 4 during a game against the Rangers.
On the other side, the Royals (46-101) come into this series following two wins against the Chicago White Sox, marking their first road series win since mid-May against the San Diego Padres. The Royals combined for a total of 18 runs in their last two games.
In regards to the starting pitchers for the series, the Astros plan to start with Christian Javier (9-3, 4.78 ERA). Javier has had a rough patch recently, going 0-1 in his last three starts with a 7.07 ERA. In his latest outing, he allowed four runs and four hits in four innings.
Javier has a career record of 0-1 with a 7.36 ERA against the Royals, including one start.
For the Royals, Zack Greinke (1-15, 5.47 ERA) will be taking the mound. Greinke, a former American League Cy Young winner and six-time All Star, has been winless in his last 19 starts. He has also suffered losses in his last two appearances against the Boston Red Sox and the Toronto Blue Jays, lasting only 3.2 innings in each game.
In his 12 career starts against the Houston Astros, Greinke holds a record of 6-4 with a 3.19 ERA.
Both teams will be eager to bounce back from their recent setbacks and make a strong showing in this series. Fans can expect an exciting matchup between the reigning champions and the Royals as they battle it out on the field.