The Astros look to make it four straight wins tonight against the Tigers in Detroit. Spencer Arrighetti takes the mound against Keider Montero. Houston has won seven of their last nine games, and they are closing in on the AL West lead.
The Astros won the opener 2-1 behind a dominant outing from Tatsuya Imai. Imai threw six scoreless innings, his first scoreless start of the season.
Troy Melton had not allowed a baserunner through five innings before Taylor Trammell broke it up with a 422-foot home run in the sixth. Jeremy Peña added an insurance run in the ninth, stealing second and scoring on a sacrifice fly by Isaac Paredes.
Arrighetti is currently 7-3 with a 3.13 ERA and 68 strikeouts, per MLB. He has allowed just six home runs in 69 innings this season. Facing a Tigers lineup that has struggled to score runs.
Keider Montero takes the mound for Detroit, currently 3-5 with a 3.68 ERA and 53 strikeouts, per MLB. Detroit's lineup has been hit hard by injuries, with Javier Báez, Justin Verlander, Gleyber Torres, and several others currently out.
The Astros have won three straight and are now just two games back of the Mariners for first in the AL West. Houston is 40-43 and trying to build real separation as the season heads toward the All-Star break. A win tonight would make it four straight and continue one of the best stretches of the season for this team.
Arrighetti has been one of the most consistent arms in this rotation all season. The Astros are playing with real confidence right now. A great chance to keep the momentum rolling against the struggling Tigers.
