Mariners vs Astros Preview: Can The Mariners Continue Hot Streak Against Astros?

The Houston Astros will welcome the Seattle Mariners for a three-game series over the weekend. The Astros reached 70 wins on Wednesday and have gone 7-3 over their last two games.

However, Houston might have 70 wins, but they’re not currently in first place in the AL West. That’s the Texas Rangers, who the Astros and Mariners are chasing in the division.

Those Mariners compete with the Astros, Rays, Blue Jays, and Red Sox for three spots in the AL Wild Card. The MLB Wild Card standings are changing every week.

This series is essential for both teams. With three games scheduled, one team will end up winning the series.

Here’s an in-depth look at the Mariners vs Astros preview for the divisional weekend series.

Mariners Shifting to Six-Man Rotation

The Mariners didn’t expect to call up some of their young pitching talent this season. However, Robbie Ray and Marco Gonzales endured season-ending injuries, and the Mariners had no choice but to call up their young studs.

Those young studs include Bryan Woo, Bryce Miller, and Emerson Hancock.

Woo was on the shelf due to a forearm injury. But he’s on track to pitch earlier next week for the Mariners. Therefore, the rotation will now have six pitchers.

It’ll be Luis Castillo, George Kirby, Logan Gilbert, Bryce Miller, Bryan Woo, and Emerson Hancock. This will allow the Mariners to watch their innings on the younger starters.

Castillo will likely earn some votes for the AL Cy YoAwardward. His MLB Cy Young odds in the American League are at +2000, the fourth highest probability in the American League.

The Mariners have one of the most promising pitching staffs in the league. They must manage it properly so everyone, including the three rookie pitchers, stays healthy.

The Seattle bullpen has also been stretched over the last couple of weeks. Adding a sixth man in the rotation should keep the bullpen fresh, as the starters could go an extra inning with an extra day of rest if needed.

Would Kyle Tucker Win MVP Without Shohei Ohtani?

It’s clear as day that Shohei Ohtani will win the AL MVP this season. But if Ohtani wasn’t in the MLB and never existed, would Kyle Tucker be next in line in the American League?

Kyle Tucker has hit .297 with 24 home runs and 92 RBIs. We’re only in the middle of August.

Tucker leads the AL in RBIs and has a blistering .903 OPS.

Right now, oddsmakers refuse to put up AL MVP lines because Shohei Ohtani already has it locked up. Still, Tucker has a 3.8 WAR and has slugged .526 throughout the season. He’s also played in 120 games and has struck out only 67 times. He’s only struck out eight more times than walked earned.

It would be a close race for Tucker. He’d compete against Corey Seager in that fantasy world. And with Seager spending time on the MLB injured list, Tucker would probably get that AL MVP if it weren’t for Ohtani.

Let’s look at the probable Mariners vs Astros preview for all three games over the weekend.

To start our Mariners vs Astros preview, Bryce Miller will get the start for the Mariners. He’s 7-4 with a 4.04 ERA. He’ll be able to bring his ERA below 4.00 against the Astros.

Miller has struck out nearly 25% of batters over the last month. He’s also done very well at limiting walks this season. However, lefties are hitting a .323 ISO and wOBA of .385 against Miller over the last 30 days.

Yodan Alvarez, Kyle Tucker, and Jon Singleton are lefties to watch out for against Miller in this game.

Meanwhile, J.P. France is headed to the mound in Game 1 for the Astros. France has held teams to a .062 ISO and wOBA of .252 over the last month. He’s been phenomenal, despite low strikeout numbers.

Seattle is getting solid production out of Julio Rodriguez, Eugenio Suarez, Ty France, Cal Raleigh, and Cade Marlowe against righties. However, the bottom portion of the order has been weak for the Mariners.

The Houston left-handed bats will likely do more damage against Miller. The baseball betting odds for this game have the Astros sitting at -152. The Mariners are +137, and the total is 8.5, flat. I’d side with the Astros in Game 1.

Logan Gilbert will get the call for Game 2 of the series. Gilbert is 10-5 with a 3.80 ERA on the season. He’s also struck out 26.4% of batters over the last month while keeping walks down to 5%.

Gilbert has allowed a .195 ISO and wOBA of .330 to his last 121 batters. But most batters have had a hard time hitting him in the first place. The Astros typically don’t struggle to put the ball in play. Therefore, Gilbert could struggle against this Houston lineup. Lefties have hit more fly balls than ground balls against Gilbert over the last month. Again, Alvarez and Tucker are clear matchup advantages against Gilbert.

On the other hand, Framber Valdez will get the start for the Astros. The left-hander has been a bit inconsistent. He’s allowed a .304 ISO and wOBA of .382 to his last 25 lefties but has held his previous 106 righties to a .304 wOBA. Valdez won’t earn many strikeouts, but he’s kept his walks down and is still getting many grounders.

Seattle has performed somewhat well against lefties over the last month. Dylan Moore has slugged a .444 ISO against lefties over the past month. Meanwhile, Ty France and Julio Rodriguez have also put solid numbers against lefties. The lineup doesn’t walk very much against lefties.

We’ve got two above-average pitchers on the mound in this game. But the Over still sounds more appealing.

In the finale, Emerson Hanock will make another start. He’s holding a 5.40 ERA and has no wins in his MLB career. Hancock has only struck out four batters of his 41 batters faced, which is a rate of under 10%.

Hancock has held teams to a .079 ISO and wOAB of .319, which isn’t terrible. He’s also induced nearly 53% of ground balls and has limited line drives to 11.8%. This is all a small sample size. Hancock won’t go very deep in this game, either. He’s thrown just 81.5 pitches per start so far.

Conversely, Hunter Brown will start for the Astros. He’s struggled badly over the last month, allowing a .282 ISO and wOBA of .365 to his previous 127 batters.

Brown has kept his line drives rate down and his ground ball rate up. But his strikeout numbers have dipped from 26.2% this season to 21.3% this month. That’s a red flag.

The Astros will likely steal the first two games, but the Mariners could avoid the sweep with a win against the Astros in Game 3.

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

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