Astros vs Mariners Pitchers: Will Justin Verlander Out-Duel Luis Castillo?

The Houston Astros will hit the road to take on the Seattle Mariners in the first game of a three-game series. Houston’s in a tight race in the AL West as we get closer to the end of the regular season.

The Astros, Texas Rangers, and Mariners are all within three games of first place in the AL West.

The Rangers will undoubtedly enjoy the Astros and Mariners facing off against one another. And ultimately, the team that wins the series will also enjoy it.

Which team will win the series’ first game and set themselves up for a successful week?

Take a look at the Astros vs Mariners Pitchers and game preview for Game 1 of this critical AL West series.

Yordan Alvarez, Exclusively Houston’s DH

Yordan Alvarez is one of the most impactful bats in the MLB.

The left-handed hitter has smacked a .293 average, with 28 home runs and 94 RBIs in just 106 games this year.

Alvarez missed some time due to injuries earlier this season. He’d be on pace for ridiculous numbers if he were healthy throughout the year.

Alvarez has added a .410 OBP, a .578 SLG, and an OPS of .988. His WAR is 4.3, despite missing a handful of games this year.

However, the Astros are still playing it safe with Alvarez. They don’t want to put him in the field and risk more injury. Instead, manager Dusty Baker explained that the Astros would play it safe and keep Alvarez as the designated hitter moving forward.

Alvarez is 26 and has smacked nearly 130 home runs in just over 1,700 at-bats. In 2021, he hit 33, and in 2022, he hit 37.

Last year, he played at least 135 games. This season, that won’t be the case. But he’ll at least try to reach that 30 mark in home runs for his MLB stats 2023 for the third straight season.

Can Julio Rodriguez Carry The Mariners To The Playoffs?

The Mariners have put together an incredible second half to get back into a race for the AL West with the Texas Rangers and Houston Astros.

The Mariners have a lot of players to thank. However, Julio Rodriguez was the main contributor.

Rodriguez has hit a 283 average, with 30 home runs and 100 RBIs. He’s also hit an OPS of .836 this MLB season.

He’s been consistent throughout the season. However, his August was like no other. Rodriguez hit a .429 average with 105 at-bats. He also smacked seven home runs and 30 RBIs with 11 stolen bases. His OPS was a 1.197 in games in August. He averaged over an RBI per game in that month.

Over the last 30 days, Rodriguez still has an OPS of 1.030 with ten home runs.

His contributions offensively didn’t go unnoticed. The Mariners can earn a divisional title over the next two weeks.

Below, we’ll look at the probable for the Astros vs Mariners game preview.

Early Odds:RL Astros (+164), ML Mariners -120, O/U 7.5 -100/-120

Justin Verlander Was Made For These Moments

The Houston Astros will send out Justin Verlander in the Astros vs Mariners pitchers. Verlander was traded from the Mets to the Astros during the MLB Trade Deadline.

He pitched very well for the Astros in August, allowing a .279 ERA through five games. However, September hasn’t treated him as well. The right-hander has allowed a 5.19 ERA in his last four games this month.

Verlander spent five seasons with the Astros and earned a Cy Young and World Series Championship with the Astros. When the Mets put him on the trade block, Houston didn’t flinch and added their ace pitcher despite him being 40 years old.

Verlander has struggled recently, allowing a .230 ISO and wOBA of .331 to his last 131 batters. He’s also allowed 40% of fly balls and has induced just 28.4% of ground balls. He’s only been good at limiting walks. His strikeouts aren’t even up.

But if there’s any player you want to pitch against a rival in a divisional race, it’s Verlander. He’s been through it all.

Verlander will face a Seattle lineup with five batters hitting at an above-average rate. However, the Mariners’ projected lineup has struck out over 21% of the time and has earned just above 6% of walks over the last month against righties.

The middle portion of the order for the Mariners hasn’t performed at a high level. Therefore, I like Verlander’s chances to get through six innings with a quality start.

Houston’s Bats On Fire Against RIghties

It’ll be Luis Castillo on the mound for the Mariners. Castillo is a right-handed pitcher, earning over 25% of strikeouts over the last 30 days.

Castillo has held teams to a .145 ISO and wOBA of .277 in the last 30 days, but he’s only induced 32.9% of ground balls. Earlier in his career, Castillo was much better at generating ground balls. So that comes with a bit of shock.

He’s also allowed nearly 28% of line drives and 43% of hard contact over the last month. He also won’t have it easy against the Astros.

The Astros have hit righties exceptionally well over the last month. Houston’s lineup has hit an ISO of above .225 and a wOBA nearing .400 in the previous 30 days. Only Jeremy Pena and Chas McCormick have had a hard time hitting for power against righties over the last month.

Plus, the projected lineup has only struck out 16.5% of the time against righties. Houston is putting the ball in play and getting a ton of power from Yordan Alvarez, Jose Altuve, and Martin Maldonado, to name a few.

The MLB lines for this game have the Astros sitting at +113, with the Mariners at -123. Meanwhile, the total is currently at 7, with the over juiced to -120.

Although Verlander hasn’t pitched very well over the last month, he’ll be back with a much better offense that has crushed the baseball over the previous month.

Neither pitcher will get rocked in this game. But Houston’s lineup has way more potential, especially down the line, when they’re facing the bullpen. Houston’s bullpen can probably hold up more.

Our MLB score predictions today have the Astros taking Game 1 of this critical series in the AL West.

For MLB betting news, odds analysis, and more, visit Point Spreads Sports Magazine.

Can’t get enough? Here’s more!

• Brewers vs Marlins Series Preview: Milwaukee’s Quest for NL Central Title
• Giants vs Dodgers Betting Odds: Times Up?
• D’Backs vs Yankees Preview: Streaking Arizona Closing On Playoff Spot
• Jays vs Rays Series Preview: Can the Rays Take First in AL East?
• Orioles vs Guardians Game Preview: Bieber’s Return Not Enough For Cleveland