HOUSTON (Interstat) — The Houston Astros and Detroit Tigers open a four-game series Thursday night at Comerica Park, with both teams looking to gain traction in the standings. Houston (38-43) enters on a high note after a 9-7, 11-inning victory Tuesday at Toronto. Joey Loperfido delivered the decisive blow, hitting a pinch-hit home run with four RBIs in that win. The Astros, however, have struggled for consistency, dropping four of their last six games. Detroit (34-45) has lost two of three after a 4-3 defeat to the New York Yankees on Tuesday. The Tigers have shown recent resilience, taking three of four from Chicago before that series. First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. EDT under a forecast of 65 degrees and rain. Loperfido remains a player to watch for Houston. While he is hitting for a low average, his power has been sporadic but impactful. In his last 10 games, he is 4-for-26 with a home run and four RBIs. His production has been concentrated in two games: a 1-for-1, 4-RBI outburst Tuesday and a 1-for-3 effort with an RBI in a win over Cleveland on June 19. For Detroit, reliever Kyle Finnegan has been a bright spot out of the bullpen. Over his last two appearances, he has thrown 2 1/3 scoreless innings, striking out five and allowing no hits. In his last six outings, he has allowed one earned run over 6 1/3 innings (1.42 ERA), with 10 strikeouts. He earned wins against the Chicago White Sox on June 21 and the Minnesota Twins on June 9, and a save against Seattle on June 5. The teams are meeting for the first time since a three-game series in Houston from June 15-17. The Astros took two of three, winning 4-2 on consecutive days before a 9-3 loss. Houston has won four of the last five meetings overall. Interstat’s game simulator projects a 6-5 Astros victory. Detroit, however, has been installed as a -1.5 run-line favorite, with the over/under set at 8.5 runs. Following Thursday’s opener, the series continues Friday, Saturday and Sunday in Detroit. Houston then returns home for a six-game homestand against Minnesota and Tampa Bay. The Tigers will travel to New York for three games against the Yankees after the series.