The road has been unforgiving for the Houston Astros, which is indisputable. Houston enters Saturday with a 6-17 record on the road. They also enter Saturday with one win in their last nine games, all on the road. They have dipped under .500 on the season, to 22-23. The good news, they have two more games left on this road trip. The bad news, they have to face the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium in those two games. The Astros have a homestand starting September 15, so salvaging a win or two against Los Angeles would be huge. This two-game set is very important for Houston, so here is a brief recap of round one and analysis of Astros vs Dodgers round two.
Recap Of Astros Vs Dodgers Round One
Round one of the Astros vs Dodgers lived up to the hype in every way. They were a pair of highly competitive nail-biters, with the Dodgers coming out on top: 5-2 and 4-2. There were also fireworks, as many expected. Dodgers pitcher Joe Kelly threw over the heads of Alex Bregman and Carlos Correa. After striking out Correa, Kelly taunted him and created a meme by making a pouty face at the Astros shortstop. This caused the benches to clear and Kelly to get suspended. He is currently serving the suspension, so Kelly won’t pitch during round two.
Projected Pitching Matchups
A pair of lefties are the projected starters for game one, Framber Valdez vs Julio Urias. Valdez has been a pleasant surprise in the Astros injury-ravaged rotation. The 26-year-old enters Saturday with a 3.61 ERA in 52 innings. Valdez pitched in the first game against the Dodgers on July 28. He pitched four scoreless innings before giving up three as part of a five-run inning in the fifth. Urias has pitched to a 3.86 ERA in 37 innings.
The Dodgers have not yet announced a starter for game two, but Zack Greinke will be on the bump for Houston. The 36-year-old veteran has a 3.27 ERA in 52 innings. In the age of the home run, he has only given up three homers all year. Greinke also has great numbers in his career at Dodger Stadium. In 53 career starts in Los Angeles, he is 30-9 with a 2.52 ERA.
Offensive Comparison
The Astros have actually had one of the best lineups in the American League. They have scored the second-most runs in the AL, with 226 runs scored. The problem with this team is at times this year they have scored when they haven’t pitched and pitched when they haven’t scored. That is why their run differential is +10, and they are a game below .500. The Dodgers surprisingly are third in the NL in runs scored, but they’ve scored 254 runs. They’re also outscoring opponents by 98 runs. Los Angeles is among the league’s best in every facet of the game.
Astros Vs Dodgers
To say these teams are going in opposite directions would be an understatement. The Dodgers have looked like the team everybody thought they would be. They enter Saturday at 32-13, the best record in the league. They’ve easily overcome an injury to Justin Turner, and down seasons by Max Muncy and Cody Bellinger. For the Astros, they’ve had more injuries, and they’ve been harder to overcome. Injuries to Justin Verlander, Roberto Osuna, Jose Altuve, and Bregman have really put a damper on Houston’s season. Bregman has returned, but he is hitless in eight at-bats thus far.
Needless to say, they need to get going and soon. The Seattle Mariners are just a few games back of the Astros for second place in the AL West. The Astros can ill-afford to get swept by the Dodgers and go 1-10 over this road trip. Houston will give it their best effort in a two-game set that is sure to excite.
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