Mariners must shake off testy Astros series ahead of huge test vs. Brewers

The Seattle Mariners must already have big, bold circles around the dates of September 19, 20 and 21. That's when they'll conclude their season series with the Houston Astros, which was a doozy even before bad blood bubbled up over the weekend.

Though the Astros got the last laugh in 11-3 blowout on Sunday, it merely dignified the series for them after the Mariners won the first two games. And both teams are walking away with literal bruises after there were seven hit-by-pitches in the last two games.

It's a small miracle that nobody was ejected, much less seriously injured. There were warnings issued on Saturday, however, which somehow didn't come into play after Bryan Abreu nailed Donovan Solano with a 97 mph fastball in the eighth inning.

There's an "all's well that ends well" perspective on all this, specifically given that Abreu went on to blow the save in that inning. It was his fourth of the season, and all four have been against Seattle. It's an impressive body of work against a guy who otherwise has a sub-2.00 ERA, and a big reason why the season series between these two teams is tied at five wins apiece.

A sense of unfinished business is also palpable, however. The Mariners only cut Houston's lead in the AL West down from 5.0 games to 4.0 games, and the Astros added figurative injury to insult by plunking two Mariners hitters on Sunday. For their part, Seattle committed only one HBP.

Yet even if there is lingering intensity from this weekend's series on Monday morning, it needs to go away in a hurry. The Milwaukee Brewers are coming to town for three games, and they're not an opponent the Mariners want to be flat-footed in facing.

The Brewers are coming into Seattle as the hottest team in MLB

This is the only time the Mariners will face the Brewers this season, and they couldn't have picked a worse time to do so. Milwaukee is so hot right now, having won 10 in a row and 20 out of 25.

The Brewers ultimately have a +66 run differential to show for their last 25 games, which is owed in large part to an offense that is getting contributions from up and down the lineup. Yet the real stars of the show are on the mound, and the Mariners are not set to be spared to this end.

Going for Milwaukee will be Brandon Woodruff, Jacob Misiorowski, and Quinn Priester. "The Miz" was famously (or infamously, depending on who you ask) an All-Star after just five starts, while Woodruff and Priester are both on heaters. Woodruff has struck out 18 in his first two starts off the injured list. Priester has a 2.54 ERA in seven starts since becoming a permanent member of the rotation.

True, the Mariners offense has been clicking lately, scoring 51 runs in a six-game stretch that began in Detroit on July 11. But the Jekyll and Hyde nature of this year's lineup is no secret at this point, and T-Mobile Park doesn't exactly bring out the best in it. Seattle has a .684 OPS at home, compared to a second-ranked .791 OPS at home.

It is some comfort that the Mariners will still have a winning record after this series no matter what happens. Yet the threat is of their progress being stalled, and the consequences could be dire.

The Mariners stand to lose further ground to the Astros in the AL West, while their wild card standing is likewise precarious. They are effectively tied with the Boston Red Sox for the second spot, with the Tampa Bay Rays lurking 1.5 games off the pace for the third.

The best hope for a series W may reside with Seattle's own pitching. The Mariners are set to counter Woodruff, Misiorowski and Priester with George Kirby, Logan Gilbert and Luis Castillo. The latter was brilliant in his first start out of the All-Star break on Friday, while Kirby and Gilbert stand to benefit from the extra rest they've gotten.

It's frankly past time for the pitching to take the reins. It hasn't been a weakness in 2025, per se, but it has never felt like the strength that it was last year. Compared to the co-best 3.49 ERA that Mariners pitchers had in 2024, this year they're smack in the middle of the pack at 3.92.

There's no time like the present to get that ball rolling in the right direction. And no matter how it happens, any series victory over a team this hot will only have us feeling more bullish about our bold prediction that the Mariners will end up winning the AL West.

Game Times and Probable Pitchers for Mariners vs. Brewers, July 21-23

• Monday, July 21 at 6:40 p.m. PT: Brandon Woodruff vs. George Kirby
• Tuesday, July 22 at 6:40 p.m. PT: Jacob Misiorowski vs. Logan Gilbert
• Wednesday, July 23 at 12:40 p.m. PT: Quinn Priester vs. Luis Castillo