Alliance... » They’re there to pick everybody else up

HOUSTON — On Sunday Saquon Barkley Jersey Elite , it was shortstop Carlos Correa who played a pivotal role in keeping Houston’s winning streak alive, belting a game-tying home run in the eighth inning as the Astros subsequently rolled to an 11th consecutive victory by rallying past the Kansas City Royals.

Houston (48-25) relied on a number of contributors to complete a 10-0 road trip through Texas, Oakland and Kansas City, with Correa following Evan Gattis, Max Stassi, Brian McCann and an assortment of others in striking the decisive blow to keep the line moving.

The Astros have benefited from a resurgent offense and exceptional work from their bullpen to set a pace as the hottest team in the majors, with their stellar road trip underscoring their might.

“This was incredible just by the way we played and the way we completed games,” Astros manager A.J. Hinch said. “Obviously, winning every game is incredible. We did it in a lot of different ways and so we want to keep the same intent and the same mentality that we’ve been playing with. It’s been pretty remarkable.

“It’s hard to put into words. It’s been somebody different every night. We’ve had good pitching; we’ve had good defense. We’ve rallied late, we’ve blown guys out early, so we’re in a good place right now and we’ve got to continue to do that going home.

“It was a long trip. We played in some hot weather. It’s a pretty resilient group to keep playing well and coming up with enough runs to win.”

Now the Astros return to Minute Maid Park to start a nine-game homestand on Monday against the Tampa Bay Rays. After improving to 29-11 on the road Mike Daniels Jersey , the Astros are aiming to elevate their play at home, where they’ve been only slightly better than pedestrian (19-14).

“Hopefully, we can go home and keep grinding and keep playing the way we’ve been playing,” Correa said.

Right-hander Gerrit Cole (8-1, 2.40 ERA) gets the starting nod for the Astros. Cole will face the Rays for the first time in his career. He allowed a season-high four runs in his previous start, working six innings and getting six strikeouts in a 13-5 win at Oakland on June 13.

Cole is 4-0 with a 3.89 ERA in his previous six starts, surrendering eight home runs during that stretch.

Right-hander Ryan Stanek (1-1, 2.55) will start the series opener for the Rays. It will mark the sixth start and 16th appearance of the season for Stanek, who has yet to face the Astros.

After working out of the bullpen three times in his first four appearances this month, Stanek logged consecutive abbreviated starts against the Toronto Blue Jays and New York Yankees on June 12 and 16, respectively.

Stanek’s outing against the Astros will mark the third consecutive bullpen day for the Rays (33-38) Youth Su'a Cravens Jersey , who claimed the finale of a four-game set in New York on Sunday behind 4 2/3 innings from right-hander Wilmer Font and four additional relievers.

The Rays welcomed back shortstop Adeiny Hechavarria from the 10-day disabled list, with Hechavarria finishing 3-for-4 with a run scored against the Yankees.

Hechavarria, who missed nearly a month with a right hamstring strain, is expected to play behind rookie Willy Adames and could be showcased as a trade chip in advance of the nonwaiver trade deadline.

For the Chicago Cubs, the last few days have felt like Christmas in July.

The team has won five games in a row and will try to stretch it to six on Wednesday afternoon in a Fourth of July matinee.

“Everything is believable,” Cubs manager Joe Maddon told reporters when asked about his team’s recent hot streak. “We believe in everything right now. Santa Claus is absolutely true.

“When you get to that point and you get that kind of confidence, you don’t want to do anything to nick it.”

Chicago (48-35) has climbed 13 games above .500 to match its high-water mark. The Cubs have a chance to set a new high when they host the Detroit Tigers (38-49) in the finale of a two-game series at Wrigley Field.

All of the Cubs’ five wins during the streak have been in come-from-behind fashion.

“One of our concepts is to score first,” Maddon said. “One of our concepts is to win the inning. But I think this is maybe the residue of our starting pitching not being what it probably is. We’ve given up more runs early from our starters that we didn’t anticipate happening.

“But it’s a tightly knit group. They’re there to pick everybody else up. So, OK, they’ve scored a couple runs. There’s no quit. The chatter in the dugout is great, all that stuff is outstanding. I just think that the come-from-behind component right now is based on our starters not pitching to their capabilities yet.”

That said Youth Courtland Sutton Jersey , the Cubs will look for a solid start from left-hander Jose Quintana (6-6, 4.31 ERA) in his 17th start of the season. The 29-year-old has allowed three earned runs or fewer in nine of his past 12 starts.

In 18 career starts against the Tigers, Quintana is 5-5 with a 4.37 ERA. The Colombia native has walked 26 and struck out 82 in 111 1/3 innings.

The Tigers will counter with veteran left-hander Francisco Liriano (3-4, 3.99 ERA), who is scheduled to make his 13th start of the season. The burly southpaw carries a career record of 105-103 with a 4.14 ERA in 335 career games.

More than a few teams could be scouting the 34-year-old Liriano as the trade deadline approaches. He is coming off a quality start against the Toronto Blue Jays but has not logged a victory since April 17 against the Baltimore Orioles.

In 14 career starts against the Cubs, Liriano is 5-4 with a 3.27 ERA. He most recently faced the club in 2016, when he posted an 0-2 record with a 7.63 ERA in three starts with the Pittsburgh Pirates and Toronto Blue Jays.

The Tigers could turn to a six-man rotation in the next couple weeks, which is fine with Liriano.

“I think that would work,” Liriano said recently to mlive.com. “It wouldn’t bother me at all. I don’t know about any other guys. (Blaine) Hardy has been doing a great job, so it’s hard to put him in the bullpen with the way he’s throwing the ball right now. I think that’s a great idea.”

Injured Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant (shoulder) is not expected to play Wednesday. He is hitting .280 with nine home runs and 36 RBIs in 66 games this season.