(Photo credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images)

The Astros will kick off a nine-game road trip when they face the Boston Red Sox on Friday, and few American League hitters are coming off a better month than Houston's Jose Altuve.Altuve collected four hits, including a three-run home run, to help Houston defeat Washington 9-1 on Wednesday. He hit .363 (33 for 91) during July with seven doubles, five homers and 21 RBIs in 24 games.

'Basically, I'm getting good pitches to hit,' Altuve said. 'Early in the season, I was swinging at pretty much everything. I didn't really focus on the pitch I can handle and I think that was what was different this last month.'The Astros were held to eight runs during a five-game losing streak that ended Tuesday. They responded by putting up 16 runs over their last two outings.'We were going through a stretch there where things were not going our way, but our guys are going to push and we figured out a way to score runs,' Houston manager Joe Espada said. 'The quality of at-bats were there back-to-back days.'Houston made a big splash Thursday when it acquired infielder Carlos Correa from Minnesota. Correa played his first seven MLB seasons in Houston before he signed with the Twins as a free agent.'We were waiting for a shortstop to come in (with the Twins) and now that I get to play third base, it will be great for me at this stage of my career,' Correa told MLB.com.The Astros also landed infielder Ramon Urias in a trade with Baltimore on Wednesday and acquired outfielder Jesus Sanchez in a deal with Miami on Thursday.The Red Sox added two pitchers before the trade deadline. Boston acquired right-hander Dustin May from the Los Angeles Dodgers on Thursday, one day after it picked up left-handed pitcher Steven Matz in a deal with St. Louis.

Although his numbers aren't as good as Altuve's, Boston's Jarren Duran is coming off a productive month at the plate as well. He batted .317 with five home runs, three triples, nine doubles and 21 RBIs in 23 games in July.

Duran homered and had three hits during Boston's 13-1 victory over Minnesota on Wednesday. Duran, who has three homers in his last eight games, had five extra-base hits in the three-game series against the Twins.

'Excellent,' Boston manager Alex Cora said. 'He's been good the whole month. You look at his numbers, the walks, driving the ball, playing good defense in center and left field, running the bases. He's one of the most dynamic players in the big leagues and I'm glad he's playing for us.'

Right-hander Hunter Brown (9-5, 2.54 ERA) is listed as Houston's probable pitcher for Friday's game. Brown allowed two runs on five hits in 5 1/3 innings during his only career appearance against the Red Sox, which came in August 2024.

Boston has yet to announce a starting pitcher for Friday's matchup.

The Astros went 12-13 in July -- their first losing month of the season -- but are hoping All-Star shortstop Jeremy Pena (ribs) returns from the injured list in time to play Friday.

Friday's game will be the first time third baseman Alex Bregman has faced his former team since he signed with the Red Sox in the offseason. Bregman, who was given Wednesday off, helped the Astros win the World Series in 2017 and 2022.

--Field Level Media