Diamondbacks Continue Roadie with Houston

Jul 29, 2015; Seattle, WA, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks left fielder David Peralta (6) celebrates with third baseman Jake Lamb (19) following the final out of an 8-2 victory against the Seattle Mariners at Safeco Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

When the Arizona Diamondbacks (49-51) clash with the Houston Astros (58-45) for a three-game series beginning on Friday, they’ll do so having won five games in a row and seven of their last ten.

The Astros, meanwhile, enter the series with the second-best record in the American League and a two-game lead in the AL West over the Angels of Anaheim.

Despite the record and standing differences, these two teams have been hot as of late. The D-backs just completed a sweep of the Seattle Mariners  earlier this week in the middle of their winning streak and the Astros just swept the Angels in three games to knock Los Angeles out of first place and into a Wild Card position.

The Astros have won eight of their last ten ball games and are having a season to remember. To be honest, no body (myself included) thought the Astros’ momentum would last this far into the season.

But, here we are. Heading into the dog days of August and the Astros are still leading the West. Absolutely crazy.

Regardless, the D-backs are now 8-3 versus the American League this season. In fact, the three AL teams Arizona has faced this season (Texas Rangers, Angels and Mariners) are all from the AL West, the same division the Astros currently lead.

While Arizona and Houston battle it out at Minute Maid Park, the NL West leading Los Angeles Dodgers will take on the Angels at Dodger Stadium for the annual Freeway Series.

The D-backs gained some ground in the West after sweeping the M’s this week. They are now seven games out of first place and 6.5 games out of the NL Wild Card.

But, Houston will be a different monster. This seems to be their season and they somehow manage to find a way to win even in tight ball games. So, the D-backs’ pitching staff will need to bring their “A” game for this series and the offense must take advantage of whatever opportunities the Astros give them.

So, it’ll be interesting to see how the series plays out. According to MLB.com, the Astros were 3-1 against the D-backs last season, but are 4-13 in the past 17 games against Arizona.

But no matter who wins the opener on Friday, somebody’s winning streak will come to an end.

With that in mind, let’s take a look at the pitching match ups for this weekend: