Mariners go for 5th Win, 7th Series in a Row

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Tai Walker looks to remain stellar on the mound for the Mariners on hot streak.

The Seattle Mariners (17-11) will face the Houston Astros (10-19) tonight at 5:05 pm PT at Minute Maid Ballpark. The M’s will send Taijuan Walker (2-1, 1.80) to the bump against former Mariner Doug Fister (2-3, 4.60).

Walker has been the M’s most consistent starter this year. Despite going only 5 innings against the Royals in his last start while allowing 7 hits, he has been on point. He is walking only one batter every 10 innings with 3 walks and 29 strikeouts over 30 innings this year. Dare I say Walker has become the starter we all hoped he would be (knock on wood) but he certainly has shown this season that he has what it takes to be a great starting pitcher.

We remember Fister during his days with the Mariners. Since then he has become a consistent starter with the Tigers, Nationals, and now Astros. This year he has been effective in his 5 starts, going 29.1 innings while allowing 15 runs on 30 hits. Fister has walked 12 batters this season, that’s almost 2.5 per start. If the Mariners offense stays hot and jumps on him early, making him throw a lot of pitches, Fister could have a short night.

Here are you lineups brought to you by managers Scott Servais and A.J. Hinch:

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Pick to Click

Pretty much every player on the Mariners has been playing well during this hot streak, so I don’t think there is a wrong pick here. Kyle Seager started the season slow but has been on fire lately. Sure he’s hitting .202 on the year, but in his last 10, Seager is hitting .324 (12-37) with 4 homeruns and 9 RBI. Couple with the hot bat, he is a career .308 against Fister with a homerun and an RBI in 13 at-bats. I predict Seager to go 2-4 with a 3-run homerun and a walk.

Final Score Prediction

I’m a fan of Doug Fister, just not when he’s pitching against the Mariners. I think he will have a hard time getting through this lineup tonight, there hasn’t been a weak spot in it of late. On the other side, Walker is going to go 7 strong innings allowing 2 runs while striking out 7 and walking 1. The first-place M’s will roll past the Astros tonight by a final score of 7-2.

Next: Cano Powers the Big Blue Train Past the Astros

You can watch tonight’s game locally on Root Sports Northwest, and MLB.tv subscribers can watch worldwide on connected devices. Fans can also listen to the game live on 710 ESPN. And be sure to follow SoDo Mojo on twitter for live updates throughout the game, and check back after the final out has been recorded for a full recap. Go Mariners!