(Photo credit: Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images)

The Baltimore Orioles and Houston Astros begin the next phase of the season after the All-Star break with Friday night's game in Houston.

Somehow, these teams have managed to reach this stage of the schedule still in playoff contention in the American League.

Remaining in that position will need some adjustments, but there doesn't appear to be a lack of optimism.

The Orioles hope to pick up where they left off before the All-Star break as they ride a season-best four-game winning streak, including the last three games against the visiting Kansas City Royals.

'Our guys are in a great groove now,' manager Craig Albernaz said. 'A good break for the boys and come back ready to go in Houston.'

Baltimore will be on the road for the first time since a July 5 game at Cincinnati.

Houston, which begins the post-break stretch with six consecutive home games, has lost three of its last four games.

'We've got to walk into the clubhouse every single day believing that we can win, preparing ourselves to win and execute, doing the small things that we do very well,' Astros manager Joe Espada said. 'If we do that, we're going to stay in this fight.'

The Orioles have received notable starting pitching for chunks of the past month and that has boosted the team's confidence.

'When they're doing their thing and they're mowing guys down and they're getting quick outs, it kind of helps us,' Baltimore infielder Jeremiah Jackson said. 'It kind of jump-starts us to go score some runs.'

The Astros will send right-hander Peter Lambert to the hill. Lambert (8-5, 3.14 ERA) has won his last two outings, including a 9-3 victory over the Texas Rangers on July 11 when he allowed one run on three hits over six innings while striking out seven. His only career meeting against the Orioles came back in April, when he allowed two runs on two hits in 4 1/3 innings in a loss to Baltimore.

The Orioles will counter with right-hander Dean Kremer (1-2, 4.09). Kremer made two starts in July after missing more than two months with a quad strain. In his last start before the break, Kremer went five innings, allowing four runs on six hits with four strikeouts in a 9-7 loss to the Chicago Cubs.

Kremer is 4-0 with a 2.59 ERA in six career starts against Houston.

Cristian Javier started Houston's most recent game but only lasted three innings Sunday at Texas. Since the Astros rely heavily on their bullpen, Javier was asked if he would be willing to switch to a relief role.

'Of course,' Javier told the Houston Chronicle. 'I'm here just to try to do the best I can do out there and try to help the team in any way possible.'

The Astros were active during the break, trading pitchers Lance McCullers Jr., who was part of two World Series championships with the team, and Colton Gordon to the Milwaukee Brewers. However, McCullers has been on the injured list for nearly two months with a shoulder ailment, so he wasn't part of the recent rotation.

The Orioles placed infielder Blaze Alexander on the 10-day IL after he suffered a nondisplaced fracture of his left hand when he was hit by a pitch Sunday. He's batting .312 in 82 games. Baltimore recalled infielder Christian Encarnacion from Triple-A Norfolk in a corresponding move.

'Especially the way he has been swinging the bat, definitely a gut punch,' Albernaz said of losing Alexander.

The Orioles won two of three meetings with the Astros in Baltimore at the end of April. The Astros avoided a series sweep by winning the second game of an April 30 doubleheader that was scheduled after a postponement the day before. The winning pitcher for Houston that day was McCullers.

--Field Level Media