The Houston Astros hope to be the fourth consecutive opponent to take advantage of the current state of the San Francisco Giants when the clubs open a three-game interleague series Monday night in Northern California.
The Astros begin the week a half-game up on the Texas Rangers and four ahead of the Seattle Mariners atop the American League West after opening a six-game trip with a second consecutive loss at San Diego on Sunday night, 7-2.
Houston has now lost four of six, but the good news is its next opponent has been in an even bigger skid as the Giants have dropped seven of nine. All seven defeats came against playoff contenders, a stretch in which San Francisco has aided the causes of the Padres, Rangers and Detroit Tigers.
The Tigers silenced Giants bats over the weekend for 8-0 and 3-1 (in 10 innings) wins after a series-opening loss. Before that, the Padres took three of four from the Giants followed by the Rangers, like the Tigers, taking two of three.
Having started an opener to begin the Detroit series on Friday, the Giants have promoted rookie Blade Tidwell from Triple-A to kick off the Houston series. Both rotation openings were created when the club traded Tyler Mahle and Robbie Ray before last week’s deadline.
A second-year major-leaguer, Tidwell (0-0, 3.18 ERA) will be making just his fourth big-league start in his 14th overall appearance. The right-hander has never faced the Astros.
“Blade is a little bit of a Skittle,” Giants manager Tony Vitello observed to the media about his former University of Tennessee pitcher. “He’s rough on the exterior but a little softer than people realize on the inside. He’s got a big heart, and I think he’s got strong relationships with everybody that’s been involved with his career, and I think it helps that we know him because there’s more there.”
Astros right-hander Hayden Wesneski (2-0, 3.86) is scheduled to face a team that fell 20 games under .500 for the first time this season on Sunday.
The 28-year-old has made two starts since returning from Tommy John surgery, throwing 5 2/3 innings in a 7-4 road win over the Los Angeles Angels on July 29 before limiting the Toronto Blue Jays to two runs in six innings in a 7-2 victory at home last Tuesday.
He’s 0-3 with an 8.83 ERA across six previous head-to-heads with the Giants, three times as a starter.
Willy Adames and Rafael Devers have been especially rough on the former Chicago Cub, combining for four hits — including a double and a home run — and five RBIs in 10 at-bats.
Wesneski will have to hope for more run support than Astros hitters gave their pitchers in San Diego over the weekend. Three batters atop the order — Jeremy Pena, Jordan Alvarez and Isaac Paredes — went a combined 5-for-36 in the three-game set.
Houston manager Joe Espada wants everybody — not just the slumping threesome — to pick up the pace as an important six-game trip wraps up in San Francisco.
“There’s enough offense in (the lineup),” he insisted to reporters after Sunday’s loss. “(The trio’s recent issues are) highlighted because they’ve been so good.”
–Field Level Media
