On deck: Astros at Arizona Diamondbacks

When/where: Today at 8:40 p.m., Saturday at 7:10 p.m., Sunday at 3:10 p.m.; Chase Field in Phoenix. TV/radio: ATTSW; 790 AM, 850 AM (Spanish), 101.7 FM (Spanish). Pitchers: Today, RHP Gerrit Cole (2-1, 1.73) vs. RHP Kris Medlen (0-0, 0.00); Saturday, RHP Charlie Morton (4-0, 1.72) vs. RHP Zack Greinke (3-2, 4.50); Sunday, RHP Justin Verlander (4-0, 1.13) vs. RHP Matt Koch (1-0, 2.37).

Astros (20-13) update: Their three-game losing streak matches a season high. After their skid from April 14-16, they won six in a row. … Verlander, Morton and Cole rank 2-4, respectively, in ERA among AL qualifiers. Verlander (62) and Cole (61) are 1-2 in the league in strikeouts. … Cole’s 61 K’s put him in a tie for third all-time with Randy Johnson (1998 Astros) for most in a player’s first six starts with a team. Chris Sale had 63 games in his first six starts for last year’s Red Sox, and Johnson had 63 in his first six starts for the 1999 Diamondbacks. … Jose Altuve, who last year posted a slash line of .381/.449/.633 in 75 road games, is on a .397/.438/.448 clip away from home this year.

Diamondbacks (21-10) update: Arizona sports the National League’s best record and sits atop the West by 4½ games over Colorado. … Before losing to the Dodgers on Thursday, the Diamondbacks had won their first nine series of the season. They split four games with Los Angeles. … Medlen, starting in place of Robbie Ray, who went on the DL this week with a strained oblique, will be making his first major league appearance since 2016 due to a second Tommy John surgery. He has a 6.00 ERA in 18 innings for Class AAA Reno this season. … A.J. Pollock is having quite the week. In the four games against the Dodgers, the center fielder hit .500 (8-for-16) with four solo homers (three on Monday) and two stolen bases.