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Astros-Red Sox Preview

May 13, 2016 - 3:48 AM The Steven Wright most synonymous with the Boston area is the Cambridge-born deadpan comedian whose Red Sox connections begin and end with his unwavering support.

Stating before the season that Steven Wright the knuckleballer would be Boston's most effective starter certainly would've elicited some laughs, too, but he's quickly making a name for himself with how well he's pitched.

Heading into Friday night's start against the visiting Houston Astros, Wright (3-3, 1.52 ERA) has continued to impress with a quality start in each of his six outings, joining Rogers Clemens (1991 and '93) and Clay Buchholz (2013) as the only Red Sox pitchers in the last 50 years with such a start to a season.

His first career complete game came Sunday with a three-hitter in a 5-1 win over the New York Yankees. The only run he gave up was a homer with two outs in the ninth.

This is the right-hander's first opportunity in four years to be in the rotation full-time after making a career-high nine starts in 2015.

"He's been extremely dependable," manager John Farrell said. "You have a pretty good sense of what he's going to give you each time he walks to the mound, and (Sunday), as good as he's pitched, he was in complete control."

Wright walked five but allowed only an unearned run in 6 2/3 innings of a 6-2 win over the Astros on April 22.

"It's fun," Wright said. "I just want to pitch. As long as I can get an opportunity to pitch, I'm going to enjoy every minute of it and just go out there and try to attack the zone."

Lance McCullers hasn't been a fan of watching the Astros (14-23) underachieve. He went 6-7 with a 3.22 ERA as a rookie last season while helping them reach the AL Division Series, but he began 2016 on the disabled list after suffering a shoulder injury during spring training.

Manager A.J. Hinch didn't want to rush him back, but McCullers said he's ready.

"I really didn't know when I was going to go, if I was going to go this weekend in Boston," McCullers told MLB's official website. "I told (Hinch) whenever he was ready that I was ready, too, so I'm excited."

The right-hander made two starts against the Red Sox last season, allowing three runs, 13 hits and walking six in 10 innings. Boston (22-13) seems poised for much more against McCullers this time given how well it has performed at the plate lately.

The Red Sox have scored in double figures in each of their last four games, a stretch during which they've outscored opponents 51-16. They've won five in a row after taking Thursday's series opener 11-1 behind three RBIs apiece from Xander Bogaerts and Mookie Betts, who both homered.

Jackie Bradley Jr. is hitting .412 during an 18-game hitting streak that ties the longest in the majors this season. Hanley Ramirez had three hits and is 8 for 15 with a homer and five RBIs during a four-game streak, and Bogaerts extended his streak to seven and is batting .406 in that time.

Jose Altuve and George Springer had two hits apiece for Houston, which had won three of its previous four but dropped to 4-12 on the road.