Houston enters the weekend needing more than just a series win. The Astros (46-49) sit two games back of Seattle in the AL West and a game and a half behind Texas, and Friday’s series opener against the Rangers at Globe Life Field kicks off the Silver Boot rivalry with real stakes attached before the All-Star break.
Hunter Brown is the Astros’ scheduled starter for Friday’s game against Texas. Texas has not yet named its Friday starter as of this writing.
Shortstop Jeremy Peña is eligible to be activated from the injured list as soon as Friday, with a return from his calf strain expected sometime this weekend. Lance McCullers Jr. also continues his rehab work, throwing four innings in his latest outing.
Houston holds the early edge in this season’s series. Texas trails the season series 2-5 and is looking for its first Silver Boot Series win since 2016.
This weekend also marks the last stretch before the break for both clubs. Friday’s first pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m., with 6:05 p.m. and 1:35 p.m. starts following on Saturday and Sunday. Houston hasn’t been at .500 since early April, so a series win here wouldn’t close that gap on its own, but a sweep would meaningfully cut into the deficit behind both Seattle and Texas ahead of the trade deadline.
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