HOUSTON (Interstat) — The Baltimore Orioles and Houston Astros, separated by a half-game in the standings, meet again Saturday evening at Daikin Park as both teams try to climb above .500. First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. under cloudy skies with a temperature of 92 degrees. Baltimore (46-51) took three of four from Kansas City before arriving in Houston, while the Astros (47-51) dropped two of three at Texas over the weekend. Houston won Friday’s series opener 1-0, a tight pitching duel that extended Baltimore’s losing streak against the Astros in head-to-head play to one game. Right-hander Shane Baz (7-8, 3.72 ERA) is scheduled to start for the Orioles. He earned a win in his most recent outing July 12 against the Royals, allowing one earned run on seven hits over 4 2/3 innings with nine strikeouts. Baz has alternated between strong and uneven outings of late, surrendering three earned runs in a loss to the Cubs on July 7 and two earned runs in a defeat to the White Sox on June 29. The Astros counter with right-hander Spencer Arrighetti (6-8, 4.18 ERA), who has not faced Baltimore this season. Houston outfielder Cam Smith enters the game in a prolonged slump, batting 1-for-17 over his last five games. His lone hit in that span was a solo home run in a 6-5 loss at Texas on July 12. Smith is hitting .234 with 14 home runs and 45 RBIs this season. The Orioles have won two of three meetings with Houston this season, taking a three-game set at Camden Yards in late April by scores of 5-3, 5-11 and 10-3. Baltimore batted .292 as a team in that series, outscoring the Astros 20-17. Interstat’s game simulator projects a 7-4 Baltimore victory. The Orioles are installed as a -1.5 run favorite, with the over/under set at 8.5. Both teams play the series finale Sunday afternoon before heading into the All-Star break.