Zac Gallen will get the start for the Diamondbacks (84-75, 43-35 home) as they host the Astros (87-72, 48-30 away) at Chase Field. The Astros will give the starting nod to J.P. France. Check out my prediction for game one of this interleague matchup between the Houston Astros and Arizona Diamondbacks.

HOUSTON ASTROS VS ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS BETTING PICK

The Pick: Arizona Diamondbacks -130

This game will be played at Chase Field at 9:40 ET on Friday, September 29th.

WHY BET THE ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS:

  • Arizona is on a four game winning streak when the underdog.
  • The Diamondbacks are on a six game winning streak as the home favorite.
  • The Diamondbacks are 2-1 in Zac Gallen’s last five starts.

HOUSTON ASTROS LOOK TO CONTINUE WINNING WAYS ON THE ROAD

Entering game 160 of their season, the Astros are two games out in the AL West and are in 2nd place. So far, their overall series record stands at 26-20-4. Houston’s road winning percent is currently 61.5% (48-30) compared to 48.1% at home (39-42).

The Astros will turn to J.P. France, who has been a reliable starter this season with an 11-6 record over 24 appearances. His ERA stands at 3.83, and he has a K/9 of 6.67 to go along with a 4.66 FIP and .313 OBP.

J.P. France’s last outing saw the Astros drop a 3-2 decision to the Royals, with France lasting five innings and surrendering seven hits that resulted in two earned runs.

For the season, the Astros’ offense is averaging 5.1 runs per game. Over their last five games they have swung the bats well, sitting 8th in the league in scoring, with a total of 22 runs. Overall, Houston’s team batting average is .259, putting them 3rd in the MLB.

The Astros have seen Jose Altuve’s bat come alive over their last five games, with the star second baseman leading the team in hits and batting .412. On the season, Altuve is hitting .316 and has 51 RBIs to his name.

WILL THE ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS TAKE CARE OF BUSINESS AT HOME?

The Diamondbacks enter today’s game with an overall record of 84-75, including putting together an above .500 mark at home (43-35). This year, Arizona has played in 52 series and have gone 28-20-4. Currently, they are 2nd in the NL West.

Zac Gallen is delivering for the Arizona Diamondbacks, having earned a win in two consecutive games. His ERA of 3.49 and record of 17-8 are impressive, as he has also racked up 213 strikeouts and limited opponents to a .233 batting average against. Gallen has been especially tough on slugging percentage, with teams posting a SLG of just .377 against him this season.

Zac Gallen earned his fourth win of the season in his last start against the Yankees, as the Diamondbacks cruised to a 7-1 victory. The right-hander was impressive, going six innings and allowing just three hits and no runs.

The Diamondbacks’ offense comes into today’s game with a collective batting average of .252 and are averaging 4.7 runs per game for the season. Looking at their ten most recent games, Arizona has gone deep seven times, which is ranked 12th in that time. To date, the team’s OPS is .735 to go along with an on base percentage of .323.

Over the past five games, Corbin Carroll has been the Diamondbacks’ top hitter, batting .350. This season, he has a .287 average and has driven in 76 runs.