Houston Astros Set Pitching Rotation for Boston Red Sox Series

The Houston Astros have set their pitching probables for their three-game series with the Boston Red Sox, which starts on Monday at Fenway Park.

The games on Monday and Tuesday are scheduled for 6:10 p.m. central, while Wednesday’s finale is set for 3:10 p.m.

The Astros are expected to Cristian Javier (9-2, 4.52) on Monday. He is coming off a victory against Boston on Monday. He threw five innings, giving up seven hits and three earned runs, with three walks and three strikeouts. The Astros would like to see him get deeper in games. In his last seven starts he is 2-1 with a 5.00 ERA with 33 strikeouts and 20 walks in 36 innings, meaning he’s averaging about five innings per start.

Chris Sale (5-3, 4.68) is set to start for Boston against Javier. He started against Houston on Wednesday, taking a no-decision after throwing five innings and giving up six hits and four earned runs. He walked one and struck out nine. He’s 2-1 with a 3.11 ERA in his last seven starts.

J.P. France (9-5, 3.51) is expected to start Tuesday’s game for the Astros, and he’ll be looking for a little revenge. His last start was against Boston on Thursday and he was smoked — giving up 11 hits and 10 earned runs in 2.1 innings, with two walks and three strikeouts. He has now lost his last two starts, but he is still 5-2 with a 3.86 ERA in his last seven games.

France will likely face Boston’s Brayan Bello (10-7, 3.56), who beat the Astros in his last start on Thursday. In that game, he allowed nine hits and one earned run in seven innings. He struck out four and walked three. He’s won his last two starts and is 3-2 with a 4.46 ERA in his last seven starts, with 29 strikeouts and 12 walks.

The Astros will move Framber Valdez (9-9, 3.40) into the starting spot for Wednesday’s finale. He had an effective start against Detroit on Friday, no-hitting the Detroit Tigers for seven innings before he left the game due to pitch count. He struck out six and walked five and the Astros ultimately lost the game in the ninth inning.

Boston expects to start Kutter Crawford (6-6, 3.65) against Valdez. The Astros didn’t face him last week, and his last start was against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday. He earned a no-decision, giving up four hits and two earned runs in five innings. He struck out seven and walked one.

After the Boston series, the Astros return home for a three-game set with the New York Yankees that starts on Friday.

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