The Astros (29-16, 1st in AL West) skip on up to the Pacific Northwest for a weekend bout with the last place Mariners (18-27, 5th in AL West)
Quick Notes
The Mariners’ fortunes have reversed in a rather startling way since the last time the Astros faced off against them, having fallen from near the top of the division to the very bottom. While this isn’t indicative of where Seattle will end the season, finding themselves 9 games under .500 at this point after the expectations of improvement the team had this winter has to be rather galling for their fans.
Seattle has only won won one series since April 24th when they slapped the Royals around. That one series win was against the Mets though, the first time that NY was handed a series loss in 2022, but other than that it’s been nothing but rough seas for the M’s. Their schedule has been a little rough though, with a lot of the teams they’re playing expected to make the playoffs, but they’ve also been losing to the likes of the Marlins and A’s.
Ty France (.331/.406/.489) and J.P. Crawford (.296/.377/.441) remain Seattle’s biggest threats if you’re going by stats alone. France in particular has been red hot in recent play, sporting an OPS of 1.046 during the last three series. Big time prospect and key to the future Julio Rodriguez (.267/.320/.406) appears to finally be heating up as well for Seattle.
But while offense has been decent enough, though certainly not world class, pitching has been the big letdown in their recent stretch of games. The Mariners have been outscored 60 to 39 in their last three series, which has resulted in just 2 wins in 10 tries. Starters and the bullpen have both been on the hook during that time.
The Mariners’ closing situation still remains fluid, but Paul Sewald (RHP, 2.81 ERA, 16.0 IP, 16 K’s) has easily been the best arm in the pen, though Penn Murfee’s 1.26 ERA is the best. Drew Steckenrider (RHP, 5.65 ERA, 14.1 IP, 10 K’s) has seen the most save opportunities this season, having converted 2 of 4, but he’s just one of 5 relievers who have, so don’t expect him to be the preferred option in the 9th.
Seattle will need to stop the bleeding if they wish to pull themselves back into contention before the All Star break. It’s gonna be a tough ask to do that against a Houston team that has been playing some really good ball lately though, especially considering how badly Seattle has been reeling this month.
Last 10 Games: 2-8 Record, 2 Series Loss, 1 Series Swept, -21 Run Differential (39 scored, 60 allowed)
W/L Splits: 10-9 at home, 8-18 on the road, 10-16 against teams over .500
Injured List: Abraham Toro: 10-Day IL (shoulder), Erik Swanson: 15-Day IL (right shouler), Ken Giles: 60-Day IL (finger), Tom Murphy: 10-Day IL (shoulder), Mitch Haniger: 10-Day IL (ankle), Evan White: 60-Day IL (sports hernia), Casey Sadler: 60-Day IL (shoulder)
Starters
Game 1: Justin Verlander (RHP, 6-1, 1.22 ERA, 49 K’s) vs Chris Flexen (RHP, 1-6, 4.98 ERA, 31 K’s)
Game 2: Jose Urquidy (RHP, 4-1, 4.24 ERA, 30 K’s) vs Logan Gilbert (RHP, 4-2, 2.60 ERA, 55 K’s)
Game 3: Luis Garcia (RHP, 3-3, 3.38 ERA, 45 K’s) vs Marco Gonzales (LHP, 3-4, 3.74 ERA, 27 K’s)
For Your Viewing and Listening Pleasure
Game 1: Friday, May 27th @ 8:40 pm CDT
Listen: Astros – KBME 790 AM/94.5 FM HD-2, KTRH 740 AM/99.1 FM HD-2, TUDN 93.3/KLAT 1010 / Mariners – KIRO 710
Watch: Astros – ATT SportsNet-SW / Mariners – ROOTNW
Game 2: Saturday, May 28th @ 9:10 pm CDT
Listen: Astros – KBME 790 AM/94.5 FM HD-2, KTRH 740 AM/99.1 FM HD-2, TUDN 93.3/KLAT 1010 / Mariners – KIRO 710
Watch: Astros – ATT SportsNet-SW / Mariners – ROOTNW
Game 3: Sunday, May 29th @ 3:10 pm CDT
Listen: Astros – KBME 790 AM/94.5 FM HD-2, TUDN 93.3/KLAT 1010 / Mariners – KIRO 710
Watch: Astros – ATT SportsNet-SW / Mariners – ROOTNW
Leave a Reply