OAKLAND, Calif. -- History, even if it is a small sample size, tells us that strikeouts should be plentiful when Oakland Athletics left-hander Sean Manaea and Houston Astros right-hander Lance McCullers Jr. square off Saturday afternoon at Oakland Coliseum in the second game of a three-game series.
The 23-year-old McCullers has 17 strikeouts in only 13 innings this season and fanned 10 Kansas City Royals on Sunday in a 5-4 Astros victory, getting a no-decision. For his career, McCullers has 20 strikeouts in 15 2/3 innings against the A's.