San Diego at Houston 8:10 ET
Padres over Astros- Rookie right-hander Hunter Brown (10-10, 4.53 ERA) is the scheduled starter for the Astros in the series opener. He has alternated wins and losses over his last six appearances (five starts), pitching to a 3-3 record with a 6.31 ERA and .952 opponent OPS. After starting the season 5-1, Brown has lost nine of 14 decisions with a 5.56 ERA plus 15 home runs allowed over 15 starts. Left-hander Blake Snell (12-9, 2.50) has the starting assignment for the Padres on Friday. Snell, a leading candidate for the National League Cy Young Award, paces the NL in ERA, opponent batting average (.191) and opponent OPS (.611), and ranks second in both swing and miss percentage (37.0) and strikeouts (201). However, he also has recorded the most walks (89) and wild pitches (12) in the majors. Snell is 6-1 with a 2.11 ERA over his last eight starts. Snell is 2-3 with a 6.11 ERA over seven career starts against the Astros. In his last appearance against Houston on May 30, 2021, Snell surrendered seven runs on five hits and three walks with three strikeouts over three innings in a 7-4 road loss. Take SAN DIEGO!