Texas @ Houston preview

Last Meeting ( Jul 9, 2014 ) Houston 8, Texas 4

The Texas Rangers are showing signs of life in the midst of a nightmare season. The last-place Rangers try to push their winning streak to three games Friday when they visit the Houston Astros in the opener of a three-game set. Texas defeated the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday and Wednesday by the combined margin of 19-1 and seeks its first three-game winning streak since mid-June.

Houston lost all three of its contests in Philadelphia this week, capped by a disappointing 6-5 defeat on Thursday in which the team squandered a 5-1 lead in the eighth inning. One bright spot for the Astros was Chris Carter, who went 3-for-4 with a pair of two-run homers. Carter has been a terror on the Texas pitching staff this season, going 11-for-34 (.324) with two homers against the Rangers.

TV: 8:10 p.m. ET, TXA-21 (Texas), CSN Houston

PITCHING MATCHUP: Rangers RH Miles Mikolas (1-4, 7.29 ERA) vs. Astros LH Brett Oberholtzer (4-7, 4.17)

Mikolas has been strong in two of his last three starts, including a 2-0 loss to Cleveland on Saturday. He gave up two runs and five hits in seven innings in that outing and struck out a career-high six. The current Astros roster is a collective 11-for-21 with 12 RBIs against Mikolas, who gave up nine runs and 12 hits in 3 1/3 innings against Houston on July 7.

Oberholtzer has logged at least six innings in each of his last nine major-league starts, including a solid seven-inning performance against Toronto his last time out. He allowed two runs in that contest, marking the seventh time in his last eight outings that he has given up three runs or fewer. Arguably his best start of 2014 came against the Rangers on April 13, when he allowed one run and five hits in seven innings and struck out seven - one shy of his season high - in a 1-0 defeat.

WALK-OFFS

1. No Rangers hitter has ever homered against Oberholtzer in 46 combined at-bats.

2. Houston has won five straight matchups against Texas this season, scoring at least eight runs in four of those victories.

3. Texas C Geovany Soto is expected to be activated from the disabled list on Friday.

PREDICTION: Rangers 4, Astros 3