HOUSTON — Outfielder Jake Smolinski is drawing a rare start against a right-hander Thursday night, and it appears he could see more playing time at the expense of Billy Burns.
Burns is coming off a month of June in which he hit .184 in 21 games, the second lowest average in the entire American League among qualified players. Taking a wider scope, he’s hitting .178 over his past 29 games. Smolinksi, in 19 games in June, hit .400 with four home runs and 11 RBI. He was 6-for-12 on the last homestand.
The right-handed hitter primarily has started against left-handers, but manager Bob Melvin said Smolinski deserved a start Thursday against Astros righty Doug Fister.