Having dropped three consecutive series and five of their previous six, the Houston Astros acknowledged the accomplishment of claiming a three-game set against the visiting Texas Rangers with their 4-1 victory on Saturday.

The Astros will seek their second sweep of the season on Sunday. A win in the finale of the Silver Boot Series would represent a step in the right direction for a club attempting to claw back into contention.

“It builds momentum, it builds confidence,” Astros manager Joe Espada said. “We just won a series; we haven’t won one in a while.

“But let’s not get complacent, winning two games in a series. Let’s go show up (Sunday) and sweep these guys. That’s how you build a good winning streak and get back in the race.”

Part of building that momentum could come in the form of reinforcements arriving in short order. Shortstop Jeremy Pena (hamstring) and center fielder Jake Meyers (oblique) played for Double-A Corpus Christi on Saturday and are nearing completion of their rehab assignments.

Right-hander Nate Pearson (elbow) is slated to pitch for Triple-A Sugar Land on Sunday, and barring any setbacks, all three could be reinstated from the injured list and join the Astros in Minnesota next week.

“There is a chance that you will see those guys at some point, hopefully in that series (against the Twins) if everything goes well in the next two days,” Espada said.

However, the Astros have a new injury concern. Veteran second baseman Jose Altuve left the game Saturday after his at-bat in the eighth inning with what was described as soreness on the left side. He is set for an MRI.

Right-hander Peter Lambert (2-3, 2.76 ERA) is scheduled to start for the Astros on Sunday.

Lambert was the pitcher of record in a 3-1 loss to the Seattle Mariners on Monday despite posting his second consecutive quality start, allowing three runs on six hits and one walk with six strikeouts across seven innings. It marked the second straight start that Lambert logged seven innings, matching his previous career high.

Lambert has faced the Rangers once previously as a member of the Colorado Rockies. He allowed two runs on three hits with two strikeouts in 2 2/3 innings of relief on May 19, 2023. He did not factor into the decision of a 7-2 loss.

Right-hander Nathan Eovaldi (4-4, 4.15) has the starting assignment in the finale for the Rangers.

Eovaldi was scratched from his previous outing on Monday against the Arizona Diamondbacks with left side tightness, however he threw a bullpen session on Wednesday. Before missing his turn in the rotation, Eovaldi recorded back-to-back wins over the New York Yankees, allowing one run on seven hits and one walk with 15 strikeouts across 15 combined innings.

Eovaldi, a Houston native, is 4-5 with a 3.74 ERA in 14 career starts against the Astros. He faced the Astros twice last season, going 1-0 with a 0.68 ERA and 13 strikeouts in 13 1/3 innings.

Rangers shortstop Corey Seager was unavailable Saturday after suffering from back spasms that morning. Seager was a healthy scratch in the series opener on Friday, and the club will monitor his progress in the coming days before determining his availability in the near term.

“I don’t know. We’ll see what happens,” Rangers manager Skip Schumaker said. “I’ve had them before. One day it’s great, and a couple of days later you still have them. I think they’re finicky.

“I don’t have a ton of concern. You never want to hear anything with your superstar player about anything, but I’m fairly confident that he will be back soon.”

–Field Level Media

The Colorado Rockies will turn to right-hander Michael Lorenzen in a bid to win the rubber match of their three-game weekend series against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Sunday afternoon in Denver.

The Rockies pulled even in the series at one win apiece after they scored three runs over the first two innings in a 4-2 victory on Saturday. It was only Colorado’s second win in the last seven games.

Saturday also was only the third game this season at Coors Field in which neither team homered.

The Diamondbacks won 9-1 on Friday.

Lorenzen (2-5, 6.55 ERA) has lost his last three starts, surrendering 13 runs in 15 1/3 innings.

He was better in his last outing, a 3-1 road defeat to the Pittsburgh Pirates on Tuesday. Lorenzen gave up two runs on five hits in five innings, walking two and striking out five.

“You’ve got to show up and try to get better each and every time. This time around, I felt like I improved,” Lorenzen said.

But his performance was overshadowed by Pirates star Paul Skenes no-hitting the Rockies for 6 1/3 innings.

Lorenzen knows about that kind of bid — he pitched a no-hitter while with the Philadelphia Phillies in a 7-0 victory over the Washington Nationals on Aug. 9, 2023.

“You notice it,” Lorenzen said. “You’re sitting here hoping that someone (on your team) is able to break through and get a base hit so you can build some momentum and score some runs.”

Lorenzen has been effective in his career against Arizona, going 3-1 with a 2.39 ERA in 10 appearances. He’s started only twice against Arizona, but the most recent time was dazzling.

Last July 6, while pitching for the Kansas City Royals, Lorenzen picked up the win after allowing two hits over seven shutout innings with a walk and seven strikeouts.

Arizona’s scheduled starter on Sunday, Michael Soroka (5-2, 3.53 ERA), has been impressive in his last two starts, allowing only one run and 10 hits over 12 2/3 innings with three walks and 11 strikeouts.

Soroka, a right-hander, threw 6 1/3 innings of three-hit, shutout ball with a walk and five strikeouts in a 1-0 win over the host Texas Rangers on Monday.

“It started with Soroka. He did a really nice job — low pitch count, temptation to leave him in the game,” Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said after the contest.

Soroka threw 89 pitches, 59 for strikes.

“Again, just no matter the score, I always tell you guys, it doesn’t matter if we’re up or down by a bunch, I want to do the same thing,” Lovullo said.

Soroka is 0-2 with a 2.70 ERA in two career appearances against the Rockies. He has surrendered nine hits in 10 innings, with four walks and 15 strikeouts.

–Field Level Media