Houston Astros (33-27, first in the AL West) vs. Pittsburgh Pirates (22-39, fifth in the NL Central)
Pittsburgh; Wednesday, 6:40 p.m. EDT
PITCHING PROBABLES: Astros: Ryan Gusto (3-2, 4.62 ERA, 1.56 WHIP, 42 strikeouts); Pirates: Mike Burrows (0-1, 8.64 ERA, 1.56 WHIP, five strikeouts)
BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Astros -140, Pirates +118; over/under is 9 runs
BOTTOM LINE: The Houston Astros face the Pittsburgh Pirates with a 1-0 series lead.
Pittsburgh has a 22-39 record overall and a 13-17 record in home games. The Pirates have a 9-3 record in games when they scored five or more runs.
Houston has a 33-27 record overall and an 11-15 record in road games. The Astros have a 12-4 record in games when they hit two or more home runs.
The teams meet Wednesday for the second time this season.
TOP PERFORMERS: Oneil Cruz leads the Pirates with 12 home runs while slugging .468. Andrew McCutchen is 12 for 38 with two home runs and four RBIs over the past 10 games.
Jeremy Pena has a .308 batting average to lead the Astros, and has nine doubles, a triple and nine home runs. Jose Altuve is 14 for 39 with three home runs and four RBIs over the past 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Pirates: 5-5, .262 batting average, 3.38 ERA, outscored opponents by seven runs
Astros: 7-3, .266 batting average, 4.30 ERA, outscored by five runs
INJURIES: Pirates: Joey Bart: 7-Day IL (concussion), Colin Holderman: 15-Day IL (thumb), 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.
The Associated Press
