On Deck: What to expect during Astros/Rangers

Having played only two games in the past six days (with those games being a doubleheader sweep of the Oakland A's), the Astros kick off September with their first Lone Star series of the year against the in-state rival Texas Rangers.

Aside from knocking off the rust that comes with extended rest, here are some things I'm looking forward to seeing in the next three days against the Rangers.

The Tuck Show Continues

Kyle Tucker is starting to look like every bit like the highly-touted prospect scouts foretold he would be. Over the past two weeks, Tucker has been hitting .362 with five home runs. He's walked eight times in that stretch, building an OPS of a staggering 1.361.

In the two games against Oakland, he was practically the Astros' entire offense, slamming a three-run home run in Game 1, before stroking a three-run triple in Game 2.

Tucker also leads all of baseball in triples, a remarkable feat that speaks to his speed around the bases and his knack for extra base hits. He'll look to remain red-hot against a porous Rangers' rotation.

Exposing the Ranger Rotation

Speaking of the Rangers' pitching, it hasn't been good in any sense of the word this year, outside of a few anomalies. What was once projected to be a formidable top-half of the rotation has quickly eroded into something much worse -- offseason acquisition Corey Kluber has missed extensive time due to a muscle tear, and Mike Minor had an awful year before being dealt to the Oakland Athletics this past trade deadline. Lance Lynn is putting up strong numbers, but alas, he's only one man.

As a team, the Rangers' collective ERA sits at 5.14, third worst in the American League, and seventh worst in all of baseball. They've walked the fourth most batters in the league (142), and have allowed the eighth most runs of all teams. Their base on balls per nine innings is an ugly 4.4, better than only the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Their bullpen doesn't inspire much confidence either, excluding a surprise emergence from lefty Joely Rodríguez. They've blown five saves on the year, and don't have much in the way of a definitive closer.

The Astros have had the benefit of playing some awful pitching teams, but the Rangers might be the worst they've faced yet. Hopefully, the team is able to capitalize on that fact.

Keeping the Bats Sleepy

Texas' issues aren't limited to only their pitching. Their hitting during the year has been just as atrocious, if not more so.

Through 33 games, the Rangers are tied for the worst collective batting average in the league at .213. Their team on-base percentage and slugging percentage are both second worst in baseball. Their weighted on-base percentage (wOBA), which calculates the value of the various ways of reaching base and adds them together, is also second worst among all 30 teams.

A big part of the team's hitting struggles is due to the sudden slump of Joey Gallo. Gallo, who was a dark-horse MVP candidate not too long ago, is batting a putrid .183 on the year, and while he's never been a known contact hitter (his highest batting average across an entire season is only .253), these numbers are easily the worst of his career, including his rookie season.

Of course, it's not only Gallo struggling -- Shin-Soo Choo is hitting a mere .218, and a good amount of the roster are either lacking in abundant plate appearances or are older, regressing players.

What this presents is a good opportunity for the starters in the back end of Houston's rotation (Cristian Javier and maybe Brandon Bielak) to break out and shove against a team that's yet to see them. It'll be a good test for a schedule that has the Astros playing a majority of their games against division rivals in September.