The Houston Astros (2-2) host the Boston Red Sox (1-2) at Daikin Park in the second series of the season.
RHP Lance McCullers Jr. will make his first start of the season tonight for the Astros opposite LHP Ranger Suarez, who’s debuting for the Red Sox after signing with the club in the offseason.
ABOUT MCCULLERS: RHP Lance McCullers Jr. is making his season debut tonight in a start against the Red Sox, a team he has not faced since the 2018 season.
McCullers last pitched in an exhibition game on March 24 vs. the Astros Triple A affiliate, the Sugar Land Space Cowboys, tossing 4.2 innings, allowing two runs, while striking out seven.
He made his return to the mound in 2025 after missing the entire 2023-24 seasons due to a right flexor tendon injury that required surgery. He worked around four IL stints in 2025 to go 2-5 with a 6.51 ERA (40ER/55.1IP) and 9.92 SO/9IP in 16 games (13 starts).
ASTROS VS. SUAREZ: The Astros are facing LHP Ranger Suarez, who they last faced on June 24, 2025.
That game was a memorable one, as Suarez dueled with LHP Framber Valdez through 7.0 innings. In a scoreless game in the 8th, LF Cooper Hummel took Suarez deep which eventually gave the Astros a 1-0 victory over the Phillies.
RIVALRY VS. THE RED SOX: The Astros and Red Sox have developed a nice rivalry over the last 10 years, as the two clubs have seen each other in three different postseason series since the 2017 season. The Astros won two of those three series, winning the 2017 ALDS and 2021 ALCS, while the Red Sox took the 2018 ALCS.
ROSTER MOVES: After last night’s game, the Astros optioned RHP Christian Roa to Triple A Sugar Land. In corresponding moves, the Astros selected RHP Cody Bolton (#67) to the Major League roster today and transferred RHP Hayden Wesneski to the 60-day IL.
CITY CONNECT MONDAY: The Astros will wear their City Connect uniforms tonight for the first time on the young season as they welcome in the Red Sox for the first game of a three-game series.
YORDAN’S UPCOMING MILESTONES: LF Yordan Alvarez (495 RBI) is five RBI shy of reaching 500 career RBI, a mark only 14 players in franchise history have reached. Alvarez also checks in with 171 career homers, which makes him just three homers shy of matching franchise icon OF George Springer (174HR) for seventh on the Astros all-time list.
OUT ON REHAB: RHP Enyel De Los Santos made his second rehab appearance for Triple A Sugar Land yesterday, tossing 1.1 scoreless innings on 19 pitches en route to recording the win. De Los Santos is recovering from a right knee strain, which landed him on the 15-day IL to open the season.
Game Info
Game Date/Time: Monday, March 30, 7:10 p.m. CST
Location: Daikin Park, Houston, TX
TV: Space City Home Network
Streaming: SCHN+
Radio: KBME 790 AM & 94.5 FM HD2; TUDN 102.9 FM HD2 (Spanish)
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