Jacob deGrom in Houston is exactly the matchup the Astros didn't need this weekend. Texas rolls in at 21-23 with a real ace on the bump, while Houston (18-28) is leaning on Kai-Wei Teng — a guy who was throwing relief innings a few weeks ago and only moved into the rotation because the Astros have run out of healthy starters.
deGrom is rolling. He's 3-2 with a 2.62 ERA, coming off a dominant outing against the Cubs on May 10 that included his 1,900th career strikeout. The knee scare from his Mariners start checked out clean on the MRI, and he's been on regular rest since. When deGrom is right, the rest of this preview kind of writes itself.
Teng is the more interesting story on the other side. The 27-year-old right-hander posted a 2.16 ERA in 11 relief appearances before Houston stretched him out, and he's been one of the few arms on this staff doing anything useful. With Hunter Brown, Ronel Blanco, Brandon Walter, Hayden Wesneski, and Cristian Javier all on the IL, Teng isn't getting a start because he earned it — he's getting one because there's nobody else.
- Day-To-DayNathan Eovaldi SP — Eovaldi (side) threw a bullpen session without issue Wednesday and expects to make his next scheduled start Sunday in Houston, Jeff Wilson of AllDLLS.com reports.
- Day-To-DaySebastian Walcott SS — Rangers GM Ross Fenstermaker said Tuesday that Walcott could be ready for game action in August, "if all things according to plan" in his rehab from the internal brace procedure he underwent on his right elbow, Shawn McFarland of The Dallas Morning News reports.
- 10-Day-ILJosh Smith 2B — Smith (lower body/wrist) was diagnosed with viral meningitis Friday and is receiving treatment in a hospital, Kennedi Landry of MLB.com reports.
- 10-Day-ILCody Freeman 3B — Freeman (back) will begin a rehab assignment with the Rangers' Arizona Complex League affiliate Thursday.
- 10-Day-ILWyatt Langford LF — Langford (forearm) rejoined the Rangers in Detroit on Saturday and will rest for a full week before being reevaluated by the team, Shawn McFarland of The Dallas Morning News reports.
- 15-Day-ILLuis Curvelo RP — Curvelo (shoulder) will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Round Rock on Friday.
- 15-Day-ILChris Martin RP — Martin (biceps) is expected to begin a rehab assignment Tuesday or Wednesday, Shawn McFarland of the Dallas Morning News reports.
- 15-Day-ILCarter Baumler RP — Baumler (intercostal) has been shut down from his rehab assignment, MLB.com reports.
- Day-To-DayWalker Janek C — Double-A Corpus Christi placed Janek on its 7-day injured list Sunday due to an unspecified injury.
- Day-To-DayLucas Spence OF — Double-A Corpus Christi placed Spence on its 7-day injured list April 22 due to an unspecified injury.
- 10-Day-ILJeremy Pena SS — Pena (hamstring/neck) hopes to resume his rehab assignment with Double-A Corpus Christi on Friday, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.
- 10-Day-ILJake Meyers CF — Meyers (oblique) is slated to begin a rehab assignment this week, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.
- 10-Day-ILCarlos Correa SS — Correa is scheduled to undergo surgery Monday in Houston to repair the tendon in his left ankle, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.
- 10-Day-ILJoey Loperfido LF — The Astros announced Monday that Loperfido (quadriceps) has started light running and light baseball activity, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.
- 10-Day-ILTaylor Trammell CF — The Astros announced Monday that Trammell (groin) has begun a running progression in addition to taking part in light baseball activity, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.
- 10-Day-ILYainer Diaz C — The Astros placed Diaz (oblique) on the 10-day injured list Tuesday, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.
The Astros' injury sheet is its own horror movie. Carlos Correa just had ankle surgery, Jeremy Pena and Jake Meyers are working back, Yainer Diaz is down with an oblique, and Josh Hader is still on a rehab assignment. Texas isn't exactly whole either — Wyatt Langford is shelved with the forearm and Josh Smith was hospitalized with viral meningitis on Friday — but they're a lot closer to a real lineup than Houston is.
Market makes sense: Rangers favored at -135 to Houston's +124, with the total sitting at 7.5 on Pinnacle and 8.5 on DK. The public is hammering the over (57% of bets, only 18% of the handle), which usually means the sharps are tucked under. With deGrom on the mound and the Astros missing half their everyday lineup, that side has some logic to it.
Bottom line: if Teng has another long-relief outing in him stretched across 5 innings, Houston has a puncher's chance. If he doesn't, this becomes the deGrom show and the Astros' May from hell keeps going.