Seattle Mariners Gameday Preview Versus Houston Astros

Initial Thoughts:

Felix Hernandez is the King of Seattle. Oh and Robinson Cano is tied with Miguel Cabrera and Ian Kinsler for the AL batting average lead. Good stuff.

Tonight the M’s look to take the 3rd game in this 4-game series, and guarantee a winning week of baseball.

Game Details:

Seattle Mariners 24-23. Last 10: (5-5).

Houston Astros 17-32. Last 10: (5-5).

Game Time: 7:10 PM Pacific. Location: Seattle, Washington. Safeco Field.

MATCHUPS:

Pitching:

Seattle Mariners RHP Brandon Maurer (1-2, 6.00 ERA) v. Houston Astros LHP Brett Oberholtzer (0-6, 5.68 ERA)

EDGE: Wash. I cannot give a straight answer between the two of these pitchers. Neither has pitched with tremendous control or authority this season, so both could stand to get shelled again tonight. Oberholtzer was just recalled from Triple-A after spending a few games in the minors, going 1-1 with a 3.75 ERA.

Projected Lineups:

Mariners:

James Jones 8

Stefen Romero 9

Robinson Cano 4

Justin Smoak 3

Kyle Seager 5

Dustin Ackley 7

Nick Franklin DH

Mike Zunino 2

Brad Miller 6

Of Note: Seager and Willie Bloomquist provided 3 RBI apiece last night staking Felix with bountiful run support. You know what isn’t bountiful? The production from the 3 players that have spent time at shortstop this season.

Not a single one is hitting above Bloomquist’s .188. In fact, they have the three lowest batting averages on the 25-man roster.

Astros:

Jose Altuve 4

Dexter Fowler 8

Jason Castro 2

Matt Dominguez 5

Chris Carter DH

Marc Krauss 3

Alex Presley 9

L.J. Hoes 7

Jonathan Villar 6

Of Note: Aside from Altuve going 3-4 in last night’s contest, King Felix silenced these Astros hitters to the tune of only 5 hits, 1 walk, and 9 strikeouts. The Astros are second in baseball with 429 strikeouts, behind only the White Sox of Chicago.

Other Notes:

Taijuan Walker had a good bullpen session, and feels confident about his progression back to game action.

The Mariners are also over .500 again, but the Angels are now 7 games over .500 and playing like they should have played the last few seasons.

Final Thoughts:

I want to say the M’s are going to win tonight, but Maurer on the mound always makes me nervous. It’s going to end up being a one-run game in a high scoring affair, but it’s tough to say who is going to take the W.

Score Prediction:

Astros 6, Mariners 5.