Two first place teams will be opening up a three-game series on Friday night as the Los Angeles Dodgers will take on the Houston Astros. The Dodgers have lost five straight road games and two straight games overall, while the Astros split their last series with the Tampa Bay Rays.
The Dodgers (67-53) currently lead the San Francisco Giants by 2.5 games for first place in the NL West, while the Astros (66-56) lead the Los Angeles Angels by 2.5 games in the AL West.
The Dodgers will send Brett Anderson to the hill in Friday night's game, and he is 7-7 with a very respectable 3.48 ERA but high WHIP of 1.33. Anderson has struggled in his last two starts but will look to get back on track against the Astros.
Friday night will also mark the Dodgers debut of Chase Utley, who was just acquired via trade from the Philadelphia Phillies and will be reunited with his former double play partner Jimmy Rollins. Utley said that he wanted to remain in Philadelphia, but if he couldn't, the Dodgers would be his number one destination as he grew up rooting for them. Utley is replacing the injured Howie Kendrick, who remains on the DL with a hamstring injury.
The Dodgers also may be getting Yasiel Puig back for this game after he sat out on Wednesday night with a minor hamstring strain.
The Astros, on the other hand, will send Mike Fiers to the mound on Friday night. Fiers was picked up in the trade that also brought in Carlos Gomez, and Fiers has settled down in his past two starts after being rocked in his first with the Astros. Overall, this season Fiers is 5-9 with a 3.87 ERA but has struck out more than a batter per inning.
A player to look out for on the Astros is rookie shortstop Carlos Correa, as he has been tremendous since being called up with the bat and in the field. In 63 games Correa is batting .283 with 15 home runs, 41 RBI and 10 stolen bases. Many have already gone on to proclaim that the 20-year-old is the best shortstop in baseball, which is high praise for having played less than half a season.
This is a big three game series for both sides, as they look to not only maintain but grow their current division leads. The Dodgers will hope to get a spark from Utley making his debut, while the Astros look to continue their surprising season.
Check out the live stream for tonight game here or listen to the radio broadcast here for the Astros and here for the Dodgers.
