Astros bring 2-1 series lead over Athletics into game 4

Houston Astros (43-31, first in the AL West) vs. Athletics (30-46, fifth in the AL West)

West Sacramento, California; Thursday, 10:05 p.m. EDT

PITCHING PROBABLES: Astros: Colton Gordon (2-1, 4.70 ERA, 1.34 WHIP, 30 strikeouts); Athletics: Jacob Lopez (1-4, 4.80 ERA, 1.50 WHIP, 40 strikeouts)

BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Astros -130, Athletics +110; over/under is 10 1/2 runs

BOTTOM LINE: The Houston Astros lead 2-1 in a four-game series against the Athletics.

The Athletics are 30-46 overall and 13-25 in home games. The Athletics rank sixth in the majors with 93 total home runs, averaging 1.2 per game.

Houston has a 43-31 record overall and a 16-18 record on the road. The Astros rank eighth in the AL with 78 total home runs, averaging 1.1 per game.

Thursday's game is the sixth time these teams meet this season. The Astros have a 4-1 advantage in the season series.

TOP PERFORMERS: Jacob Wilson has a .359 batting average to lead the Athletics, and has 15 doubles and eight home runs. Brent Rooker is 10 for 35 with two home runs and four RBIs over the last 10 games.

Jeremy Pena has 15 doubles, a triple and nine home runs for the Astros. Cam Smith is 16 for 40 with five doubles, two home runs and nine RBIs over the last 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Athletics: 5-5, .217 batting average, 4.18 ERA, outscored by nine runs

Astros: 7-3, .305 batting average, 2.73 ERA, outscored opponents by 29 runs

INJURIES: Athletics: Seth Brown: 10-Day IL (elbow), Shea Langeliers: 10-Day IL (oblique), Miguel Andujar: 10-Day IL (oblique), Gunnar Hoglund: 15-Day IL (hip), Zack Gelof: 60-Day IL (hand), Jose Leclerc: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Brady Basso: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Ken Waldichuk: 60-Day IL (elbow), Luis Medina: 60-Day IL (elbow)

Astros: Brendan Rodgers: 10-Day IL (oblique), Lance McCullers: 15-Day IL (foot), Jacob Melton: 10-Day IL (ankle), Spencer Arrighetti: 60-Day IL (thumb), Chas McCormick: 10-Day IL (oblique), Ronel Blanco: 60-Day IL (elbow), Zach Dezenzo: 10-Day IL (hand), Hayden Wesneski: 60-Day IL (elbow), Yordan Alvarez: 10-Day IL (hand), Luis Garcia: 60-Day IL (elbow), Cristian Javier: 60-Day IL (elbow), J.P. France: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Taylor Trammell: 10-Day IL (calf), Pedro Leon: 10-Day IL (knee)

___

The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.