Taijuan Walker (2-1, 1.80 ERA) takes the hill for the Seattle Mariners (17-11) as they square off against Doug Fister (2-3, 4.60 ERA) and the Houston Astros (10-19) in the second of a four-game series at Minute Maid Park. The Mariners won the last game 6-3, and Seattle leads the series 1-0. Action begins at 8:10 p.m. ET on Friday, May. 6 and can be seen on RTSW and RTNW.
Fister pitched 6.2 innings in his last outing, surrendering one run, striking out five and walking one in a 2-1 win over the Athletics. Jose Altuve (.330, 27 Rs, 9 HRs, 19 RBIs, 10 SBs) continued his strong play yesterday, going 4 for 4 with two runs, one home run, and two RBIs. Walker went 5.0 innings, surrendering three runs (one unearned) and striking out four in a 4-1 defeat to the Royals in his most recent start. Robinson Cano (.287, 17 Rs, 9 HRs, 30 RBIs) has been successful at the plate for the Mariners, going 3 for 5 yesterday with four RBIs.
The odds for Houston and Seattle are even, while the Over/Under (O/U) is currently unavailable. Within its division, Houston has a record of 11-8 SU. The Astros have seen an uptick in scoring as of late, averaging 0.0 runs during the last 10 games compared to their season average of 0.0 runs per game. The Astros are one of the best in the MLB in terms of home runs with 38. Houston is one of the best in the MLB in terms of steals, swiping 21 bases. Houston’s pitching staff has been doing better against opposing offenses during the last 10 games, only allowing an average of 0.0 runs per game, well under their season average of 0.0. The Astros are the third-best team in the AL at limiting walks during home games, allowing only 2.1 walks per game to their opponents this season.
The Mariners are 2-8 against AL West rivals. Offensively, they average five runs per game on the road, which is fourth in the AL. Shifting to the pitching staff and defense, the Mariners allow just 0.0 runs per game, ranking them fifth in the AL. When it comes to preventing batters from getting on base, the Mariners are one of the best in the league with a WHIP of 1.151 for the season.
The Mariners lead the season series, 3-1.
Predictions: SU Winner – SEA
Notes
Houston has won 18% (2-9) of its games when leading after seven innings. However, Seattle has won 75% (9-3) of its games when taking a late lead.
The Mariners managed to give up four walks in their last game. They’ll have to pick it up against the Astros who are heading in with a 6-10 record against opponents who give up that many walks or more.
When they outhit their opponents, the Astros are 6-3. The Mariners have a 13-3 record when outhitting opponents.
Ranking 16th, Houston is in the bottom half of the league in runs, scoring 119 this season. Seattle ranks in the top 10 at eighth with 128.
Ranking 10th, Seattle is in the top 10 of the league in walks, notching 96 this season. Houston ranks in the top five at fourth with 113.
When the Astros hit at least one home run, they are 9-14. When the Mariners hit at least one homer, they have a 14-7 record.
