The Texas Rangers and Astros will begin a three-game rematch in Houston on Friday as they attempt to bounce back from their respective four-game series losses from last week in Arlington, Texas.
The Astros were swept in a three-game road series against the Kansas City Royals, while the Rangers lost two of three games at home against the Oakland A’s.
Hunter Brown, the starter for the Astros, only lasted two-thirds of an inning on Thursday, marking the second time in four days that he failed to record three outs.
Brown became the only pitcher in major league history to give up nine runs on eleven hits without pitching at least one inning. The Astros’ 2-5 road trip came to an end with a 13-3 loss that ended before a six-game homestand.
The Astros starters Blair Henley, Cristian Javier, Spencer Arrighetti, and Brown have combined over 9 1/3 innings in the four games since Ronel Blanco pitched six shutout innings in a 3-1 victory over the Rangers on Sunday. During that time, they have allowed 24 runs (23 earned) on 27 hits.
Henley recorded just one out in the Astros’ 10-5 victory over Texas on Monday, while Arrighetti made his major league debut on Wednesday.
Injuries to the rotation have decimated the Astros. Houston has five starters on the injured list: Justin Verlander, Framber Valdez, Lance McCullers Jr., Luis Garcia and Jose Urquidy. Valdez (elbow) was a late scratch Monday, facilitating the need for Henley to make an emergency start. Brown has allowed 14 runs on 19 hits over his past two starts, pitching only 3 2/3 innings.
