Cleveland Indians (76-73) at Houston Astros (67-83), 8:10 p.m. (ET)

(SportsNetwork.com) - The Houston Astros are apparently not interested in prolonging the fleeting playoff hopes of the Cleveland Indians.

Houston won Monday's opener to account for the Indians' fourth consecutive loss and the Astros will try to push it to five on Tuesday night when the teams meet in the second of a four-game series at Minute Maid Park.

The Monday defeat dropped Cleveland six games back of the American League's second and final wild card berth. The Indians haven't lost five straight since late April.

"We're in this thing until they tell me we're out of it," Cleveland's Michael Brantley said. "That's how I look at it. That is how everyone in this locker room looks at it. We need to score more runs, we need to play better baseball. There is no other way to put it."

A win for Houston would be its sixth in a row at home -- which would be the first streak of that length since 2012. Second baseman Jose Altuve has hit in 14 straight home games and his three hits Monday lifted his total for the season to 209, best in the majors.

"He's a magician with the wand," interim manager Tom Lawless said. "I've seen it a long time, but seeing it up close and personal, it's amazing what he can do with the bat in his hand."

He faces Cleveland's Corey Kluber on Tuesday, against whom he's hitless in three career at-bats.

Kluber is 5-3 with a 1.49 earned run average in his last 10 starts and is the first Indians pitcher to reach 15 wins in a season since Cliff Lee won 22 in 2008. He's thrown 212 2/3 innings, which is the third-highest in the majors.

"He's been so amazingly consistent, and at a high level -- and he's only going to get better," manager Terry Francona said.

Kluber hasn't faced Houston this season, but he beat the Astros twice in 2013.

He's to be opposed by Nick Tropeano, who starts for the second time in a big- league career that began on Wednesday, when he allowed two runs in five-plus innings of a 5-2 win against Seattle.