On Deck: What to look for during Astros/Giants

The Astros are coming off a rough stretch of away games that saw them go 3-6. Thankfully, they return to Minute Maid Park tonight to try and get back on track with a three-gamer against the San Francisco Giants, with the first game being aired nationally on ESPN later tonight.

Here are some things I'm hoping to see from the squad heading into their return home.

A Lineup Shakeup

If there was ever a time to switch up the batting order, it would be now. The top of the order (Springer, Altuve, Bregman) is still struggling thus far into the lineup, while lower hitters (Brantley, Correa, Gurriel) are experiencing success.

That isn't to say that the entire lineup needs to entirely reverse, but a little less pressure on the top of the order could do the guys struggling some good, while moving the hot hitters up a few spots could mean more at bats, in addition to more hits with men on base.

One spot to consider is Michael Brantley, who's batting .313 with an OPS of .879. He's been the team's most controlled hitter so far in the season, and he has experience batting second in the lineup (he did so during his time in Cleveland on multiple occasions). With the lineup struggling as it is, why not move him up and try and give him more at-bats with guys on?

A total overhaul isn't needed, but a few swaps here and there could do wonders for the Astro hitters, and potentially break them out of their funk.

A Springer Return

George Springer missed the entirety of the Athletics' series with a sprained right wrist. Despite his early-season slump, having him back in the lineup would be a benefit for a team struggling enough at the plate as it is.

Springer might have come across a bit of a turning point earlier in the Diamondbacks' series, showing good AB's and solid contact before the injury.

George heating up can only mean good things for the Astros, who need all the good hits they can get right now.

McCullers Rebound

Lance McCullers Jr. had an outing to forget his last start, giving up eight earned runs in under four innings to balloon his ERA to 9.22 on the season. It was easily his worst start of the season, which surfaced in a disastrous fourth inning after a solid first three innings.

McCullers recently said that he had cleaned up some of his mechanics regarding his pitching with men on base, which was an issue during that outing. Additionally, McCullers will be pitching back in Minute Maid Park, where he has been statistically better in his career (in 2018, he had a home ERA of 3.43 compared to a road ERA of 4.24).

Under the assumption that the roof won't suddenly open, the Astros will hope to get a solid outing from Lance, who is looking to get himself back on track and help the team get back into the win column tonight.