Pirates host the Astros in first of 3-game series
Houston Astros (32-27, second in the AL West) vs. Pittsburgh Pirates (22-38, fifth in the NL Central)
Pittsburgh; Tuesday, 6:40 p.m. EDT
PITCHING PROBABLES: Astros: Lance McCullers (0-1, 5.89 ERA, 1.69 WHIP, 26 strikeouts); Pirates: Paul Skenes (4-5, 2.15 ERA, 0.92 WHIP, 77 strikeouts)
BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Pirates -146, Astros +123; over/under is 7 1/2 runs
BOTTOM LINE: The Pittsburgh Pirates host the Houston Astros to begin a three-game series.
Pittsburgh has a 22-38 record overall and a 13-16 record in home games. The Pirates have a 6-25 record in games when they have given up at least one home run.
Houston has a 10-15 record on the road and a 32-27 record overall. Astros hitters are batting a collective .253, which ranks fourth in the AL.
The teams meet Tuesday for the first time this season.
TOP PERFORMERS: Oneil Cruz leads the Pirates with 12 home runs while slugging .476. Andrew McCutchen is 13 for 37 with two home runs and four RBIs over the past 10 games.
Jeremy Pena has a .309 batting average to lead the Astros, and has nine doubles, a triple and nine home runs. Jose Altuve is 15 for 39 with five home runs and eight RBIs over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Pirates: 5-5, .272 batting average, 3.89 ERA, outscored opponents by seven runs
Astros: 7-3, .288 batting average, 4.50 ERA, outscored by one run
INJURIES: Pirates: Joey Bart: 7-Day IL (concussion), Colin Holderman: 15-Day IL (thumb), Nick Gonzales: 60-Day IL (ankle), Enmanuel Valdez: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Justin Lawrence: 60-Day IL (elbow), Tim Mayza: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Jared Jones: 60-Day IL (elbow), Johan Oviedo: 60-Day IL (elbow), Dauri Moreta: 60-Day IL (elbow)
Astros: Chas McCormick: 10-Day IL (oblique), Ronel Blanco: 60-Day IL (elbow), Zach Dezenzo: 10-Day IL (hand), Hayden Wesneski: 60-Day IL (elbow), Yordan Alvarez: 10-Day IL (hand), Spencer Arrighetti: 15-Day IL (thumb), Luis Garcia: 60-Day IL (elbow), Cristian Javier: 60-Day IL (elbow), J.P. France: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Taylor Trammell: 10-Day IL (calf), Pedro Leon: 10-Day IL (knee)
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
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USA Today
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