This is an 8* on HOUSTON

Houston has lost six of nine. Going 2-3 on the road against the Dodgers and Giants wasn’t what they were looking for, but it’s at least understandable. Losing three of four at home to Minnesota, something they did over the weekend, is less so. The Astros lead in the AL West is down to two games, so they can’t afford to “mess around” the next two days when Colorado comes to town. The Rockies are off a three-game sweep of Miami. But that came at home. The team’s record on the road this year is 13-40. That’s the second worst win percentage on the road among all 30 teams. Only division mate Arizona is worse. They have won just one road series all year and that came right before the All Star Break. We look at this as a “buy low” spot with Houston. Odorizzi has struggled of late, but look at that as a byproduct of some of the teams he’s faced. He had to pitch on the road against the White Sox and Dodgers. In between those losses, he was on the mound for wins over Seattle and Texas, who are bad teams like Colorado. Jon Gray, as you’d expect, has a 2-7 TSR on the road for the Rockies. The Astros lost two games at Coors Field back in April. So they are out for revenge tonight. Play on HOUSTON

AAA