Seattle Mariners Visit Houston Astros

The Houston Astros will host a four-game series with the Seattle Mariners starting Thursday night at 7:10 PM CT.

Houston comes into their final pre-all-star break series on a bit of a streak. Winners of eight of their last 10 and four straight. That includes their short sweep of the Colorado Rockies. The Astros won the final game, 6-4. Yainer Diaz went deep twice with three RBI and Jeremy Peña added a long-ball of his own in the victory. JP France went six innings and allowed three hits for a Quality Start. Hector Neris, Bryan Abreu and Ryan Pressly each pitched an inning of relief.

The Mariners came into the season thinking they would be Houston’s main competition in the American League West. That hasn’t happened. With four games until the All-Star break, they sit at .500, with 42 wins and 42 losses.

Despite their rough start, the Mariners have won their past four games going into tonight's finale against the Giants. That includes a 6-0 shutout of the San Francisco Giants on Tuesday. Mike Ford collected four hits, including two doubles and a home run, while AJ Pollock hit his fifth homer of the season. JP Crawford and Julio Rodríguez joined Pollock with multiple hits. Logan Gilbert (6-5, 3.82) pitched the shutout, striking out seven and allowing four singles and one double.

The last time Houston met Seattle was from May 5 through 7 earlier this season. The M’s won two-of-three, including a 3-1 decision in the series finale. The two clubs will have two more series this year, from August 18 through 20 at MMP, then back in Seattle from September 25 through 27.

In that 3-1 loss, the Astros only managed six hits, led by a pair from Yordan Alvarez, a double by Jose Abreu, and an RBI-single from Kyle Tucker. Brandon Bielak was tagged with the loss, allowing 10 hits and a pair of walks in just 4 ⁄₃ innings.

Standings

Houston Astros: 49-38, .563, second in the American League West, 2.5 games behind the Texas Rangers. Fourth in the AL, in possession of the second wildcard berth. Seventh in MLB. On pace for 91-71. Last 10: WLWWWLWWWW. Playoff Odds: 81.1 percent.

Seattle Mariners: 42-43, .494, fourth in the AL West, eight games behind the Rangers. Tenth in the AL, five games behind the final wildcard berth. Eighteenth in MLB. On pace for 80-82. Last 10: LWLLLWWWWL. Playoff Odds: 7.0 percent.

All-Time Head-to-Head

The Astros are 119-74 against the Mariners in all-time competition. The resultant .617 winning percentage is their best against any opponent.

Gametime and Starting Pitchers
Thursday at 7:10 PM CT — George Kirby (7-7, 3.21) vs. TBD
Friday at 7:10 PM CT — Luis Castillo (5-6, 3.05) vs. Hunter Brown (6-5, 3.76)
Saturday at 6:15 PM CT — Bryan Woo (1-1, 4.08) vs. Framber Valdez (7-6, 2.49)
Sunday at 1:10 PM CT — Logan Gilbert (6-5, 3.82) vs. Brandon Bielak (4-4, 3.81)

Who’s Hot (highest WPA vs. Rockies)
Brandon Bielak (.371)
Yainer Diaz (.216)
Mauricio Dubon (.214)
JP France (.143)
Jeremy Peña (.108)

Who’s Not (lowest WPA vs. Rockies)
Bligh Madris (-.031)
Jose Abreu (-.036)
Jake Meyers (-.047)
Kyle Tucker (-.106)
Alex Bregman (-.143)

Team Leaders (Astros First)
AVG: Kyle Tucker .293, Ty France .267
OBP: Kyle Tucker .366, JP Crawford .362
SLG: Kyle Tucker .479, Teoscar Hernandez .446
OPS: Kyle Tucker .845, Jarred Kelenic .764
HR: Yordan Alvarez 17, Teoscar Hernandez 15
RBI: Yordan Alvarez & Kyle Tucker 55, Teoscar Hernandez & Eugenio Suarez 49
BB: Alex Bregman 50, JP Crawford 48
SB: Corey Julks & Kyle Tucker 14, Julio Rodríguez 20
ERA: Framber Valdez 2.49, Luis Castillo 3.82
WHIP: Framber Valdez 1.05, Logan Gilbert 1.02
SO: Framber Valdez 110, Luis Castillo 114