Jeremy Pena is enjoying a torrid offensive stretch for the Houston Astros.
Meanwhile, Cleveland’s Jose Ramirez continues to show why he’s among the elite players in the majors.
Two of the hottest hitters in the game will square off Friday night when the Guardians open a weekend set against the visiting Astros.
Houston sits atop the American League West, where no team is better than six games over .500. A big reason for the Astros’ success is Pena, who posts a team-best .318 batting average and is 19-for-44 (.432) during an 11-game hitting streak.
Pena had three hits, including two doubles, with one RBI on Thursday as Houston recorded its eighth win in 11 games with an 8-2 victory at Pittsburgh.
“I think it’s just having more experience,” said Pena, the fourth-year shortstop who helped Houston win the 2022 World Series. “The longer you’re in the league, the more you kind of learn about the league and learn about yourself, learn how to manage yourself. … Just trying to show up and compete.”
Pena is a .304 hitter in 14 career games versus Cleveland. He’s 5-for-6 with a double and triple against Friday’s scheduled Guardians starter, Logan Allen (3-3, 4.22 ERA).
Pena isn’t the only Astros hitter who’s had success versus Allen, as Jose Altuve and Mauricio Dubon are a combined 5-for-11 against him.
Allen will return to the Guardians’ rotation, for the time being, after back-to-back rough starts in which he allowed a combined seven runs, 10 hits and five walks over 6 2/3 innings. However, the left-hander made his first career relief appearance Saturday against the Los Angeles Angels, pitching a scoreless inning with two strikeouts to earn the win in a 7-5 victory.
Allen is 0-1 with a 5.40 ERA in two career starts versus Houston.
He’ll try to help the Guardians bounce back after they lost two of three games against the New York Yankees, including Thursday’s 4-0 setback in the Bronx. Cleveland has been held to two or fewer runs five times during a 4-6 stretch that followed a four-game winning streak.
“We’re built the way we are,” Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said. “We know we can play with anybody in the league. … We just continue to battle, continue to grow and get better.”
Despite Cleveland’s inconsistent offense, Ramirez continues to stand out.
He ranks among the top four in the majors with a .330 batting average. He recorded two hits Thursday, extending his on-base streak to 31 games — one shy of his career high. He’s batting a remarkable .393 with a .448 on-base percentage since last failing to reach base on April 29.
“He’s one of the best, and we think (and on the team), the best in the league,” Guardians teammate David Fry told The Athletic.
Ramirez and his teammates will get their first look at scheduled Astros starter Colton Gordon (0-1, 5.95 ERA). Houston is 3-1 in the first four career starts by the rookie left-hander, who still appears to be finding his rhythm.
Gordon has yielded at least three runs in each of his four starts. He surrendered four runs with two homers, plus three other hits, over five innings of Saturday’s 16-3 loss to Tampa Bay.
–Field Level Media
