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With only 90 career walks in 1,842 plate appearances entering this season, Astros shortstop Jeremy Pena seemed an unlikely candidate to find a home atop the Houston batting order.

Yet with the Astros in search of a spark for their lagging offense, Pena has delivered since being inserted into the leadoff role. He will look to serve as a spark again on Friday when Houston begins a three-game interleague series against the visiting Cincinnati Reds.

Pena has posted a .349/.378/.558 slash line in 10 games since moving to the leadoff position. He went 2-for-5 with a double and a three-run home run in the Astros’ 9-1 road win over the Milwaukee Brewers on Wednesday, his fifth multi-hit game following the April 27 lineup change.

“You’ve got to be making adjustments quickly, and I think he’s doing that,” Astros manager Joe Espada said. “And I think that’s very important. How he’s matured in understanding what pitchers are trying to do (is key), and he’s understanding himself and how his swing is working.

“He comes in the game and he sees pitches, and when he knows they’re attacking him with fastballs, I think he’s right on them. We’re not asking him to sit there and take pitches and walk. We want him to be more patient and wait for his pitches to hit, and he’s doing that.”

Right-hander Hunter Brown (5-1, 1.67 ERA) is the scheduled starter for Houston on Friday. He recorded his fifth consecutive winning decision on Saturday despite allowing a season-high three earned runs on four hits and three walks with nine strikeouts over six innings in an 8-3 victory over the Chicago White Sox.

Brown has produced a quality start in all seven appearances this season, and he was 3-0 with a 0.36 ERA over his last four starts before facing the White Sox.

The 26-year-old Detroit native has faced the Reds once previously, tossing six shutout innings while allowing four hits and one walk with six strikeouts on Sept. 5, 2024. He did not factor into the decision of the Astros’ 1-0 loss.

Right-hander Nick Martinez (1-3, 4.19 ERA) has the starting assignment for the Reds. He received a no-decision in Cincinnati’s 4-1 loss to the Washington Nationals on Sunday despite producing his second consecutive quality start. He permitted one run on four hits with six strikeouts and no walks over six innings.

The Reds are 1-6 in his seven starts this season, with Martinez recording his lone victory on April 28 against the St. Louis Cardinals.

Martinez is 4-4 with a 3.88 ERA over 14 career appearances (nine starts) against the Astros. In his latest appearance against Houston, he allowed four runs (one earned) on six hits and three walks with seven strikeouts over 5 2/3 innings in a 12-5 home run on Sept. 4, 2024.

The Reds announced Thursday that they will put ace right-hander Hunter Greene on the 15-day injured list with a Grade 1 right groin strain. He sustained the injury ahead of the fourth inning the previous night after twirling three scoreless frames in the Reds’ 4-3 victory over the Atlanta Braves.

Greene was not scheduled to pitch during the series in Houston, but the club considered the result of his MRI as relatively positive.

“It’s not terrible,” Cincinnati manager Terry Francona said before his club’s 5-4, 11-inning loss in Atlanta on Thursday. “But it is going to be an IL placement because we need him to miss maybe a start or two.”

–Field Level Media