The Houston Astros and the Arizona Diamondbacks will face off on Thursday at Chase Field. The game will be at 7:07 PM and airs on FOX.
This will be the third and final game of this series in Phoenix.
Houston Astros Struggling Stars
The Astros haven’t been playing quite as well as previous years, but they aren’t far off. They still have a winning record and find themselves sitting in second place in the AL West.
They will be starting Zach Greinke in this one. It seems that his best years are behind him, but he is still a solid arm for the Astros. He hasn’t gotten a win yet this season, currently holding a 5.00 ERA through nine innings of work.
Jose Altuve hasn’t been his usual self, and haters might say it’s because he doesn’t know what pitch is coming! He is only hitting .163 so far this year. Joining him in hitting below .200 for the Astros is George Springer.
Leading the team on offense is Michael Brantley, who holds a .438 average and .656 slugging percentage. He will need some others to join him if they want to be mentioned with some of the top teams in the league.
But Brantley’s status right now is day-to-day. Without his bat in the lineup, some guys will have to come out of their slump.
Arizona Diamondbacks Have a Chance
The Diamondbacks have lost every series so far and hold a losing record. They are 5th in the NL West, a division with the San Diego Padres and LA Dodgers.
Wins will be hard to come by for this team. No one on the team has hit over one home run so far.
Their one hope in this game is their pitcher, Zac Gallen. In his last outing, Gallen threw six innings and allowed two earned runs. This was while only allowing five hits.
The only games that he has thrown, they have won. He started in the game against the Dodgers and the Padres, which were the only games they won against those teams.
But if they are going to win, they have to find some offense. Christian Walker holds their leading average, batting .306. That average has improved through the last seven games, so maybe he is finding his stride and can provide some runs for a struggling team.
Usually, the Diamondbacks wouldn’t have a shot against the Astros, but Gallen gives them an opportunity to win.
Prediction
It is hard to bet against a team like the Astros when they are facing a team with this little talent. But the pitching matchup allows just that.
Gallen has thrown for two of their wins so far, which is almost all of their wins this season. That streak is liable to continue as they face Zack Greinke.
As long as Gallen doesn’t aim for the Astros too many times, he should limit their scoring ability. I’m taking the Diamondbacks money line in this one.