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Seattle Mariners probable pitchers & starting lineups vs. Houston Astros, April 9

Everything you need to know about the lineups and where to find the game, as the Mariners take aim at beating the Astros in Wednesday afternoon's rubber match.
ByPaul Taylor|
Seattle Mariners v San Francisco Giants
Seattle Mariners v San Francisco Giants | Suzanna Mitchell/San Francisco Giants/GettyImages

Memories of the Seattle Mariners' 18-inning slog versus the Houston Astros in the 2022 playoffs came flooding back on Tuesday night. And as with that 1-0 loss which knocked the M's out of the ALDS, it was a similarly disappointing outcome this time around against their AL West rivals.

On this occasion, it "only" took the Astros 12 innings to come through with a 2-1 victory, in what was another eminently winnable game for the Mariners. The pitching staff did not give up any earned runs, but was outdone by a lineup which went only 1-for-19 with runners in scoring position.

This lack of productivity in key moments went down to the very end as the Mariners failed to bring Mitch Garver home from third base in the bottom of the 12th, with two consecutive strikeouts ending the game. In total, the M's lineup had 19 strikeouts to go along with just five hits.

The Mariners will nonetheless look to claim victory in the three-game series on Wednesday, with first pitch at T-Mobile Park scheduled for 1:10 p.m. PT. Here's a look at the probable pitchers and starting lineups, plus how to watch.

Starting pitchers

For the Mariners: Luis F. Castillo, RHP (0-0)

There had been some hope, mostly tongue in cheek, that Luis F. Castillo would be the second coming of...errr...Luis Castillo! However, this was certainly not the case in his first start of the season — and indeed Major League career — last Friday afternoon in San Francisco against the Giants, in what was ultimately a tough 10-9 loss in extra innings.

Brought in to replace the disappointing Emerson Hancock during the seemingly never-ending absence of George Kirby (slight hyperbole there), Castillo himself failed to make a good impression as he allowed six hits, two walks and three earned runs in just 3.0 innings. He mostly relied on his four-seamer at Oracle Park, reaching 95.1 mph on the gun. The Mariners will be hoping this proves to be more effective in the series finale against the Astros.

For the Giants: Hunter Brown, RHP (1-1)

After struggling in his first year as a full-time stater in 2023, Hunter Brown began to trend in the right direction last season, which included producing a career-high 2.6 WAR. He projects to be a middle-of-the-rotation starter who can reach 100 mph with his fastball, while also having an intriguing curveball.

Through two starts in 2025, Brown has had a good mix of four pitches, although he is using his four-seamer more. His last start was an excellent one in a 5-2 win against the Detroit Twins on the road, as he allowed five hits, no walks and just two earned runs in 6.0 innings, while also striking out eight and being rewarded with the W.

Mariners starting lineup vs. Brown

  1. CF Julio Rodríguez (R)
  2. DH Jorge Polanco (S)
  3. C Cal Raleigh (S)
  4. LF Randy Arozarena (R)
  5. RF Luke Raley (L)
  6. 1B Rowdy Tellez (L)
  7. 3B Ryan Moore (R)
  8. 2B Miles Mastrobuoni (L)
  9. SS J.P. Crawford (L)

Astros starting lineup vs. Castillo

  1. DH Jose Altuve (R)
  2. 3B Isaac Paredes (R)
  3. LF Yordan Alvarez (L)
  4. 1B Christian Walker (R)
  5. SS Jeremy Peña (R)
  6. C Victor Caratini (S)
  7. 2B Brendan Rodgers (R)
  8. CF Jake Meyers (R)
  9. RF Cam Smith (R)

How can I watch the Mariners today?

Regional Coverage

  • Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Alaska: The game will be televised on ROOT Sports Northwest.​
  • Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, Oklahome, and parts of eastern New Mexico: The game will be televised on Space City Home Network.

Satellite Coverage

  • Nationwide: Available via DirectTV.

Radio Broadcast

  • Seattle Region: Tune in to Seattle Sports 710 AM or stream the audio live at seattlesports.com.​
  • Houston and other regions: Tune into KBME 790 AM/94.5 FM HD-2, TUDN 93.3/KLAT 1010.

Streaming Options

  • ROOT Sports Streaming App: Fans in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, and Alaska can stream the game live through the ROOT Sports streaming service
  • FuboTV: Subscribers in the aforementioned regions can also stream the game live via FuboTV, which carries ROOT Sports Northwest.
  • MLB.TV: Out-of-market viewers can watch the game live with an MLB.TV (subscription required).

What's at Stake?

The Mariners quite simply have to find a way to win their first series of the 2025 season, with them sitting at the bottom of the AL West following Tuesday's slate of MLB action. The ramifications of another series loss would also manifest itself in showing the team's seeming inability to take advantage of playing 13 of their first 16 games at home.

The Mariners have shown they now know how to compete with and beat the Astros, as evidenced by a 17-9 record over the past two seasons versus an opponent who used to dominate them. At the same time, it's not going to make for good optics if the M's cannot win a series against a team which is not as good as it has been for the majority of the past decade.

Even at this early stage in April, this is still a crucial series for a Mariners team, which is struggling once again offensively and not helped by Víctor Robles now being out for around the next 12 weeks. As a final note — and take from this what you will — the M's also started the previous two seasons 4-8 and in both cases won their 13th game.

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