7 years agoTexas Rangers starting pitcher Cole Hamels will need to be at his very best if he is to be successful Thursday against the Houston Astros. The Astros rank among the top six in the league in batting average, on-base percentage, OPS and runs scored. However, one good thing for Hamels, who has struggled with the long ball this season, is that the Astros rank just 15th in home runs in 2018. Hamels has a mixed history in this matchup with a 3.95 ERA and 116 strikeouts in 120 2/3 innings across 19 starts. Given that Hamels has an ERA over two runs higher when pitching at home than on the road, he is a pitcher we would look to avoid in this tough home matchup Thursday.--Ben Rolfe
Source: Baseball Reference