Astros' Yuli Gurriel Eyes 6th Straight Game With Home Run In Lone MLB Matchup Thursday

Members of the Houston Astros and Texas Rangers probably aren't thrilled with Major League Baseball right now considering they will be the only teams in action on Thursday night to kick off the second half of the baseball season. ESPN wanted a national TV game and ESPN generally gets what it wants. It's an 8 p.m. ET first pitch from Arlington.

No question that the hottest hitter in the American League if not the majors coming out of the break is Houston's Yuli Gurriel. He was named the AL Player of the Week for last week, batting .429 with six homers, 13 RBIs and an obscene 1.182 OPS in five games. Gurriel carries a five-game homer streak into Thursday, just the fifth player in franchise history to go yard in that many consecutive games. Jose Altuve did it earlier this year, but it hadn't happened prior for Houston since 2006 (Morgan Ensberg).

The big-league record for consecutive games with a homer is eight by the Mariners' Ken Griffey Jr. (1993), the Yankees' Don Mattingly (1987) and Pirates' Dale Long (1956). Gurriel is on an 11-game hitting streak overall, batting .400 with nine homers and 18 RBIs in that stretch. He's the first player in franchise history to record a run and an RBI in seven straight games.

Texas starts Lance Lynn (11-4, 3.91) on Thursday, and Gurriel is 1-for-3 career off him with a solo homer. Lynn has faced the Astros once this season and lost in Houston on May 10, allowing three runs over seven innings. The veteran right-hander is 4-2 with a 2.20 ERA in seven career starts against them.

Houston will recall rookie Framber Valdez (3-4, 4.57) from Triple-A to make the start as the Astros rejigger the rotation out of the break. Valdez hasn't pitched in the majors since June 26. He has made three appearances vs. Texas in 2019 and is 0-1 with a 5.06 ERA. The Astros opened as slight favorites on the MLB odds. They have won 19 of their past 26 in Arlington.