MLB Preview: Houston Astros (69-52) at Miami Marlins (63-58)

HOUSTON ASTROS NOTES:

TONIGHT’S GAME: The Astros look to win the series in the rubber match of their three-game series with the Marlins tonight in Miami behind RHP Justin Verlander, who has a career 1.42 ERA (3ER/19IP) in three starts against the Marlins…he’ll be opposed by LHP Jesús Luzardo, who has posted a career 4.35 ERA (10ER/20.2IP) in four appearances including three starts against the Astros.

JV’S RETURN:RHP Justin Verlander is making third start with Astros this season…in his last start on Friday vs. the Angels, he recorded his 500th career regular season start, which made him the 48th player in MLB history to reach that number. (per Elias)…a few additional notes on Verlander’s return to Houston:

• Verlander, 40, was officially re-acquired on Aug. 1 from the Mets, along with cash considerations in exchange for prospects OF Drew Gilbert and OF Ryan Clifford.
• this marks Verlander seventh season with the club (2017-23), in which he’s gone an incredible 62-20 with a 2.29 ERA (169ER/665IP) with 836 strikeouts in 104 starts.
• as an Astro, Verlander has earned two AL Cy Young Awards (2019, 2022), three All-Star Game selections, the 2017 ALCS MVP Award and two World Series Championships.
• in his Astros postseason career, Verlander has gone 9-6 with a 3.87 ERA (47ER/109.1IP) in 19 games (18 starts)…he is the Astros postseason franchise record-holder in wins and starts.

ROAD WARRIORS: The Astros are back on the road for a quick three-game road trip to Miami…this bodes well for Houston, as they’ve gone 36-26 (.581) on the road this season, which ranks second in the AL and third in the Majors.

Best Road Record in Majors

1. Atlanta: 38-22 (.633)
2. Baltimore: 38-23 (.623)
3. Houston: 36-26 (.581)

UP TO THE CHALLENGE: The Astros are 13-8 thus far while in the midst of a month-long stretch of games (July 24-Aug. 24) in which seven of their nine scheduled opponents are currently at .500 or better…in this stretch, the Astros will see the Rangers (2-1), Rays (1-2), Guardians (3-0), Yankees (2-2), Orioles (2-1), Angels (2-1), Marlins (1-1), Mariners and Red Sox.

VS. THE FISH: This is the Astros and Marlins only matchup of the 2023 season…the Astros faced the Marlins in 2022 at Minute Maid Park, losing the series, two games to one…this series is the Astros first time to Miami since 2017 when they swept the Marlins in a three-game series.

ABOUT LAST NIGHT: The Astros defeated the Marlins, 6-5 last night at loanDepot Park…The Astros was led by RF Kyle Tucker, who launched a go-ahead solo home run in the 7th inning off LHP A.J. Puk…C Yainer Diaz (1×4, HR, 2RBI) and LF Chas McCormick (1×3, HR, RBI) also contributed on offense… RHP Hunter Brown tossed two scoreless innings to earn the win in his first relief appearance of the season.

INJURY UPDATE: 2B Jose Altuve left last night’s game due to a left knee contusion..the x-rays were negative.

BOMBS AWAY: C Yainer Diaz has 16 home runs this season… of his 16 homers this season, has hit 10 as a catcher, 5 at DH and 1 at 1B this season…since 1974, only 1 other Astros rookie catchers have hit 10+ homers in a season, also Mitch Meluskey (14 in 2000).

ALL AROUND TUCK: RF Kyle Tucker should finish in the top three in MVP voting, as he currently ranks second in the AL in RBI (89), third in OPS (.898) and third in slugging (.521)…he’s also one of just three players in the Majors with 23-or-more home runs and stolen bases, joining NL MVP candidate Ronald Acuña Jr. (27 HR, 55 SB) and SS Bobby Witt Jr. (23 HR, 34 SB)…defensively, Tucker, the reigning AL Gold Glove winner, has more starts (115) than any other AL player in right field, and has committed just one error in his 232 total chances.

BRANTLEY REHAB ASSIGNMENT: OF Michael Brantley began a rehab assignment with Triple A Sugar Land last night…Brantley went 1×3 with a two-run home run last night against Round Rock…Brantley has been working his way back from right shoulder surgery, which has held him out of Major League game action for the entirety of the season.

2K JOSE: 2B Jose Altuve enters tonight with 1,997 career hits, needing just three hits to become the third player in franchise history to reach 2,000 career hits…he would join 2B Craig Biggio (3,060) and 1B Jeff Bagwell (2,314) on that franchise list…per Elias, the Astros have had five players reach 2,000 career hits while playing for the Astros: OF José Cruz (1985), Biggio (2001), Bagwell (2003), SS Miguel Tejada (2009) and OF Carlos Lee (2011).

TUVE-METER: In addition to closing in on 2,000 career hits, 2B Jose Altuve is also just eight doubles shy of 200 and nine stolen bases shy of 300 for his career…on the club’s last road trip, Altuve (724 RBI) surpassed Jimmy Wynn (719 RBI) for seventh-place in club history in RBI and connected for his 200th career home run.

BIG RETURNS: On July 26, the Astros reinstated 2B Jose Altuve and LF Yordan Alvarez from the IL…since that date, the Astros offense has posted a .797 OPS and is scoring 5.7 runs per game…a few notes on both of their returns:

• Altuve has hit safely in 16 of his 18 games since being activated, hitting .435 (30×69) with 18 runs scored, five doubles, three homers, 10 RBI, seven steals and an 1.185 OPS.
• Alvarez has hit safely in 14 of his 18 games since being activated, hitting .273 (18×66) with three doubles, four home runs, nine RBI, 12 runs scored and an .877 OPS over that stretch.

TONIGHT’S ASTROS STARTER: RHP JUSTIN VERLANDER
LAST START – 8/11 VS. LAA: made his 2nd start since his return to the Astros and his 1st at Minute Maid Park…allowed 3 runs on 6 hits through 6 IP while striking out 7 batters and not surrendering a walk…has logged back-to-back quality starts since rejoining Astros.

500 CLUB: his last start on Aug. 11 vs. LAA was the 500th of his career…per Elias, he became just the 48th player in Major League history to reach that mark and is 1 of 2 active players with at least 500 career starts, joining Zack Greinke (536)…with his 500th start, he tied former Astro Joe Niekro for No. 48 all-time in games started in MLB history…of Modern Era pitchers (since 1901), Verlander ranks T-39 in career starts, with Hall-of-Fame RHP Jim Bunning next on the list (519).

LEAGUE LEADERBOARD: since making his season debut on May 4, ranks 10th in the Majors in ERA, opponent’s batting average (90×402) and opponent’s OPS (.641).

STRONG STRETCH: over his last 9 starts (2 with the Astros), has gone 5-2 with a 1.95 ERA (12ER/55.1IP) and has held opponents to a .198 batting average (40×202) and a .559 OPS.

ABOUT VERLANDER: the future Hall of Famer, nine-time All-Star, three time Cy Young Award winner, 2011 AL MVP and 2006 AL Rookie of the Year returned to the Astros rotation earlier this month after a three-month stint with the Mets.

• acquired by Houston on Aug. 1 along with cash considerations in exchange for minor league prospects OF Drew Gilbert and OF Ryan Clifford…marks his second time to be acquired by Houston via trade, which also happened at the waiver trading deadline in 2017…thanks in large part to Verlander, the Astros went on to win the 2017 World Series.

VERLANDER AS A MET: after earning his 2022 Cy Young Award and helping guide the Astros to their 2nd World Series title, departed the Astros via free agency this offseason…signed a two-year deal (2023-24) with the Mets, which also included a vesting option for 2025.

• began the season on the IL after suffering a right teres major strain…returned in May and went on to make 16 starts as a Met, going 6-5 with a 3.15 ERA (33ER/94.1IP)…the Mets went 8-8 in his 16 starts.
• excelled over his final 7 starts in New York, going 4-1 with a 1.49 ERA (7ER/42.1IP)… allowed just a .178 opponent average in those outings.

VS. MIA: will be making just his 4th career start against the Marlins…entering tonight, the only teams he’s faced fewer times in his career are the Cubs (2).

• faced the Marlins last season while still with the Astros…allowed 4 unearned runs through 7 IP and struck out 5 batters to pick up a winning decision…bulk of the damage came on a 3-run homer from former Astros minor leaguer, Bryan De La Cruz.
• prior to his start in ‘22, Verlander had not faced the Marlins since 4/5/16 with DET…the Marlins lineup that day featured Giancarlo Stanton, Christian Yelich and J.T. Realmuto…took a no-decision after hurling 6 IP and allowing 3 runs on 3 hits while striking out 5 batters… Verlander also went 1×3 with a run scored.

MIAMI MARLINS NOTES:

MARLINS MINUTE
The Marlins today conclude their final series of Interleague play and wrap up a six-game homestand with the rubber match against the Astros. Miami is coming off a weekend series victory (2-1) against the Yankees. Following this ‘stand, will head to the West Coast for an off day on Thursday before playing three at the Dodgers and three at the Padres.

HOMEBOYS
The Marlins are 37-26 at loanDepot park this season. The .587 home winning pct. is the 3rd-highest in the NL (6th in MLB), while the 37 wins are the 3rd-most by any National League team, behind the Braves and Dodgers (39).

• Entered the second half 30-18 at home. Have gone 7-8 in 15 games at loanDepot park since the Break.

FISH BYTES

• Miami ranks 2nd in the NL with 1,076 hits (4th in MLB behind Texas, Atlanta, and Toronto), and ranks 3rd in the Majors in batting average (.262), behind Atlanta and Texas.
• The Marlins own 48 games in which the offense has collected 10+ hits. Is the 4th-most 10+ hit efforts in MLB behind Texas (58), Atlanta (54), and St. Louis (50). In 2022, the Marlins collected 10+ hits just 43 times.
• The Marlins pitching staff leads the National League with 1,141 strikeouts (2nd most in Majors behind MIN-1,156).

INTER-MIAMI
The Marlins have gone 26-17 in Interleague play thus far in 2023, marking the most Interleague wins in MLB. The .605 winning percentage in Interleague games is the 4th best in MLB, behind the Reds (.607), Dodgers (.618), and Blue Jays (.667). Heading into this season, the Marlins owned a 103-148 record in Interleague play dating back to 2012, which ranked as the worst in MLB.

ASTROWORLD
The Marlins are welcoming the reigning World Series champion Astros to Miami for the first time since May 15-17, 2017 when Houston took all 3 games. Have gone 81-84 all time against the Astros, including a 49-34 clip at home. The Marlins took their three-game set in Houston last season, 2-1.

• 1B Yuli Gurriel spent 7 years with the Astros, winning two World Series in 2017 and 2022. Gurriel hit .284 in his career with Houston, including a .319 mark in 2021 when he won the American League batting title.

YESTERDAY’S RECAP
Miami dropped game two against Houston, 6-5. RHP Johnny Cueto went 5.0 innings in the start and allowed 5 runs (4 earned) on 7 hits with 2 walks and 3 strikeouts. RF Jorge Soler (1×4, 1 HR, 2 RBI) joined the 30-homer club with a 2-run shot in the 3rd inning, and CF Jazz Chisholm Jr. (2×4, 1 3B) and LF Jesus Sanchez (2×4, 1 2B, 1 RBI) each had multi-hit games. After entering the seventh inning tied 5-5, LHP A.J. Puk surrendered his 7th home run of the year.

SOLER POWER
DH/OF Jorge Soler is tied for 4th in the National League (T-6th in MLB) with 29 home runs. Soler has a league-leading 13 home runs off left-handed pitchers, posting a .304 AVG and 1.165 OPS.

• Became the 13th player in franchise history to reach the 30-homer plateau in a season and the first since Giancarlo Stanton (59) and Marcell Ozuna (37) in 2017.
• In 950 career ABs post-ASB, Soler has 70 HR (13.6 AB/HR). In 1,849 ABs pre-ASB, Soler has 86 career HR (21.5 AB/HR).
• Is hitting .304 with a 1.159 OPS and 4 home runs in his last 6 games.

WHAT’S MY AGE AGAIN?
Marlins rookie RHP Eury Perez (20-123), who became the youngest pitcher in club history when he debuted in May of this year and is MLB’s youngest player this season, was born more than 20 years after Astros reigning AL Cy Young Justin Verlander (40-177), who is baseball’s 4th-oldest player this season. At the time of Verlander’s debut (July 2005), Eury had just celebrated his 2nd birthday.

DUCKS ON THE POND
The Marlins are batting just .197 (47×238) with runners in scoring position since the All-Star break, the 2nd-worst mark in MLB ahead of only Oakland (.178). Batted .266 with RISP prior to the break, the 4th-highest in the National League.

RING THE BELL
1B Josh Bell has reached base safely in 12 of 13 games since joining the Marlins. In reaching base in his first 12 games with the club, his 12-game on-base streak club marks the second longest by a Marlins’ mid-season acquisition behind only Gary Sheffield (13 G, 1993) – Elias Sports Bureau.

• Bell became the 11th Marlin to hit a home run on their birthday and the first since Joey Wendle on April 26, 2022 at Washington. Derrek Lee homered on his birthday twice, in 2001 and 2003.

LEFTY LOVE
C Nick Fortes is hitting .389 with a 1.034 OPS against LHP this season, the 2nd-highest AVG in MLB with (min. 50 ABs) against lefties. On the contrary, is hitting just .169 with a .445 OPS against RHP.

• Over his last 13 G, is batting .323 with 6 runs, 3 doubles, 1 homer, 2 RBI, and a .898 OPS.

LA REGADERA
2B Luis Arraez leads MLB with his .363 AVG (163×445) and 163 hits. Marks the highest AVG and the most hits by a Marlin through his first 114 games of a season.

• His 45 multi-hit games are 3rd-most in MLB. Is tied for 1st in MLB with 17 games of at least 3 hits. Owns 6 games with at least 4 hits this year, most in the Majors and most by a Marlins player in a single season.
• Is hitting .460 (40×87) with RISP, also the best mark among qualifiers. The Marlins record for average with RISP (min. 100 ABs) is held by Miguel Cabrera’s .378 mark in 2006.

STARTING PITCHER – #44 JESUS LUZARDO

• Jesus Luzardo, 25, will make his 25th start of the season today. Will mark his fourth career start (fifth app.) against the Houston Astros.
• Last faced Houston on April 2, 2021 at the Oakland Coliseum (w/ Oakland). Tossed 5.0 innings and allowed 5 runs on 8 hits (2 home runs) and 1 walk. Struck out a career-high 8 batters.
• In 9 Interleague starts this season, has gone 2-4 with a 5.17 ERA (47.0/27) and 56 strikeouts.
• In his most recent start on Aug. 11 vs. the Yankees, allowed 7 runs on 9 hits (2 home runs) and 1 walk with 2 strikeouts.
• His 157 strikeouts this season leads Marlins pitchers; is tied for sixth among NL pitchers and tied for 12th in MLB.
• 12 of his starts this year have been quality starts, the most among Marlins starters and is tied for the fourth-most among left-handed pitchers in MLB (last, July 23 vs. Colorado).
• Has struck out at least 8 batters in 10 starts this season; is the second-most such starts in the NL (behind Spencer Strider, ATL – 19).
• His 10.6 SO/9 ranks second among left-handed NL starters (min. 100 IP), behind SD’s Blake Snell – 11.8.
• Is 4-3 this season at loanDepot park with a 3.31 ERA (81.2/30) in 14 starts and 4-4 with a 4.85 ERA (52.0/28) in 10 starts away.
• Left-handed batters are hitting .196 (21×107) vs. Luzardo in 2023 with 2 home runs and a .547 OPS while right-handed batters are hitting .265 (107×404) with 16 home runs and an .788 OPS.