In the second of a three-game series between the Seattle Mariners (5-8) and the Houston Astros (5-8) at Safeco Field, Taijuan Walker (0-2, 17.18 ERA) and Collin McHugh (2-0, 1.54 ERA) get the ball. The Astros won the last game 7-5 and Houston leads the series 1-0. The game starts at 10:10 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Apr. 21 and will air on ROOT-SW and ROOT-NW.
Walker is 3-0 with a 2.91 ERA against the Astros in his career, and faces a struggling Houston offense that’s hitting just .207 on the year. Nelson Cruz (.358, 10 Rs, 8 HRs, 16 RBIs) played well again yesterday, going 2 for 5 with one run and two RBIs. In his career against the Mariners, McHugh is 3-2 with a 4.11 ERA, 0.91 WHIP, and 34 strikeouts. Luis Valbuena (.244, 5 Rs, 5 HRs, 7 RBIs, 1 SB) has been hitting the ball well to start the season, going 2 for 3 yesterday with two runs, two home runs, and three RBIs.
Seattle, a -121 favorite, will look to capitalize at home against Houston. The Over/Under (O/U) for the matchup is seven runs. The Mariners are 4-4 as the favorite and have an overall money line of -289. They have performed well against their division to earn an SU record of 5-4 and a 4-3 record when they were the favorite. The Mariners are a power hitting team with 18 home runs, one of the highest totals in the MLB. Transitioning to the pitching staff, an area where the Mariners are particularly strong at home is striking batters out, where they average 8.7 K’s per home game.
Across the field, the Astros have a subpar record of 2-3 when they are the underdog and are -9 overall with the money line. Against divisional rivals, they are 5-4 SU and 2-2 as the underdog. When it comes to scoring runs, the Astros have performed much better than normal against teams from the AL West. During those games, they averaged three runs per game, above their 2.8 season average. The Astros have racked up 14 steals on the year, making them one of the most threatening base-running teams in the league. The Astros are a problem for opposing batters, sporting an AL-low 2.70 ERA on the road this season. They also allow just 2.6 walks per game, fourth-best in the AL.
The only other game between the two teams went Houston’s way. This game will feature McHugh (RHP) on the mound against the Mariners, who have a 4-3 record when they take on a right-handed starter. The right-handed Walker will take the mound against the Astros, who have a 3-5 record against righty starters this season.
Predictions: SU Winner – HOU, O/U – Over
Notes
The total has gone OVER in 8 of Seattle’s last 11 games.
Seattle is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games.
Seattle is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games at home.
The total has gone UNDER in 9 of Seattle’s last 13 games at home.
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Seattle’s last 5 games when playing Houston.
Seattle is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games when playing Houston.
This season, the Mariners hold an even 5-5 record against AL West teams. The Astros sit at 6-4 against these opponents.
When the Astros play into extra innings, they have a 1-0 record. The Mariners are 2-1 when their games exceed nine innings.
The Astros managed to give up five walks in their last game. They’ll have to pick it up against the Mariners who are heading in with a 1-1 record against opponents who give up that many walks or more.
When they outhit their opponents, the Astros are 3-3. The Mariners have a 3-2 record when outhitting opponents.
Ranking 25th in runs, Houston has earned 41 this season. Seattle ranks 15th with 52 runs.
Ranking 19th, Seattle is in the bottom half of the league in walks, notching 35 this season. Houston ranks in the top 10 at seventh with 45.
When the Mariners hit at least one home run, they are 5-4. When the Astros hit at least one homer, they have a 6-4 record.
