Astros Look to Launch Bombs Into the Bay as Giants Try to Play Spoiler

It's a cross-conference clash at Oracle Park on Monday night, and the Houston Astros are rolling into the Bay Area with one thing on their minds: launching baseballs into the Pacific. The San Francisco Giants, meanwhile, are just trying to keep their heads above water in a season that's been sinking for a while.

The Astros sit at 60-59, first place in the AL West, and they've been a road team that actually shows up — 30-30 away from H-Town. Houston is third in the majors with 161 total home runs, averaging 1.4 per game. That's a whole lot of dongs, and the Giants' pitching staff better bring their hard hats.

San Francisco, on the other hand, is 49-69 and fourth in the NL West. Their 27-29 home record isn't a fortress, but the Giants do boast the ninth-best team slugging percentage in the bigs at .409. So there's some pop — just not enough to consistently outscore the damage.

Probable Pitchers: A Tale of Two Arms

The mound matchup features two guys trying to prove themselves. Hayden Wesneski (2-0, 3.86 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, eight Ks) takes the ball for Houston. He's been solid in limited action. The Giants counter with Blade Tidwell (0-0, 3.18 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, 13 strikeouts), a name that sounds like a 90s action hero and a guy who's been punching out batters in his early sample.

It's Astros -160, Giants +136, with an over/under of 8½ runs. Translation: oddsmakers expect some fireworks.

Who's Hot

Yordan Alvarez is the scariest man in this lineup — a team-leading 35 home runs with a .624 slugging percentage. He's a living highlight reel.

For the Giants, Jung Hoo Lee leads the squad with a .298 average, tacking on 26 doubles, four triples, eight homers, and 45 RBI. Rafael Devers has been heating up too, going 11-for-35 with two bombs and four RBI over his last 10 games.

Houston's Yainer Diaz is locked in, too — 14-for-38 with two homers and five RBI in his last 10.

Momentum Check

Look at the last 10 games and the difference is glaring. The Astros are 6-4 with a .285 team average, a 3.44 ERA, and they've outscored opponents by 16 runs. The Giants? 3-7, hitting .202, with a 4.48 ERA, and they've been outscored by 16 runs. Matchup-wise, this could get ugly... or it could be one of those weird baseball nights where anything happens.

Injury Report: Yikes

San Francisco's training room looks like a M*A*S*H unit. Matt Chapman, Harrison Bader, Marcelo Mayer, Casey Schmitt, and a whole list of arms, including Hayden Birdsong and Rowan Wick, are on the IL. The Astros are banged up too — Carlos Correa is on the 60-day list, and Mike Burrows and Brice Matthews are sidelined.

First pitch is at 9:45 PM EDT. Strap in — this one might be a slugfest, or a survival test for a Giants team that's running on fumes.