Astros face Mariners in critical matchup for division supremacy
Sep 23, 2024, 4:18 pm
Kyle Tucker will hit second with Yordan Alvarez out of the lineup. Composite Getty Image.
The Houston Astros (85-71), currently leading the AL West, host the Seattle Mariners (80-76), who sit second in the division, for the first game of a crucial three-game series on Monday night at 8:10 p.m. EDT.
Pitching Matchup: The Mariners will send Bryce Miller (11-8, 3.06 ERA) to the mound. Miller has been a reliable force for Seattle this season, boasting a 0.99 WHIP and 166 strikeouts. He'll be up against the Astros' Hunter Brown (11-8, 3.57 ERA), who has 171 strikeouts and will be looking to continue his solid performance as Houston eyes a division title.
What's at Stake: Houston holds a five-game lead in the AL West and looks to maintain their edge as they inch closer to clinching the division. The Astros, strong at home with a 45-33 record, also rank second in the AL with a team on-base percentage of .323. Seattle, with a 34-44 record on the road, has had the upper hand in the season series, leading 6-4.
Key Players:
- Astros: Kyle Tucker has been on fire, going 15-for-34 with three home runs in his last 10 games.
- Mariners: Julio Rodriguez continues to be a key player for Seattle, batting .272 with 19 home runs. Victor Robles has also been in fine form, hitting 15-for-34 over the last 10 games.
Recent Performance: The Astros come into the series having won seven of their last 10 games, outscoring opponents by 10 runs during that stretch. The Mariners, meanwhile, are 6-4 in their last 10, with a solid 3.59 team ERA.
This series could prove pivotal in determining the final standings in the AL West as both teams are fighting for playoff positioning.
Last Space City.
⚾: 7:10 PM
🏟️: Closed
📺: @SpaceCityHN | SCHN2 | @ESPN+
🎙️: @SportsTalk790 | Spanish: 93.3 FM#Relentless x @reliantenergy pic.twitter.com/nKdlNtHc2A
— Houston Astros (@astros) September 23, 2024
You can see Yordan Alvarez is not in the lineup after injuring his knee sliding into second base on Sunday. Hopefully, he avoided any serious damage to the knee.
Yordan Alvarez is undergoing an MRI this afternoon. An X-ray yesterday showed “inflammation,” Joe Espada said. Espada said Alvarez woke up this morning “pretty sore.”
— Chandler Rome (@Chandler_Rome) September 23, 2024
Manager Joe Espada shared the latest on Yordan.
More from Joe Espada on Alvarez pic.twitter.com/oT5iCw0Hf1
— Brian McTaggart (@brianmctaggart) September 23, 2024
___
*ChatGPT aided with this article.
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The MLB postseason is right around the corner, and one of the most popular discussions about the Astros has to be (or at least was) Justin Verlander's role moving forward.
It appears Houston GM Dana Brown plans on reevaluating Verlander's status after the first playoff series.
Which is quite a position reversal compared to his last comments about JV when he broke out the “back of the baseball card” nonsense on the club's flagship station on September 11. Better late than never, I suppose.
With that said, it appears the Astros will role with Framber Valdez, Hunter Brown, and Yusei Kikuchi. Which seems like the right choice at the moment.
But now the Astros have another x-factor to navigate. If Yordan Alvarez is able to play with his sprained knee in the postseason, it's hard to imagine he would be playing in left field.
With him locked in at DH, Yainer Diaz will have to either catch or play first base. The same goes for Victor Caratini if he's in the starting lineup. Which also means that games in which both Caratini and Diaz play, Jon Singleton will be on the bench.
We'll likely see a platoon at first between Caratini and Singleton when Diaz is behind the dish. Mauricio Dubon could also factor in.
Which leads us to the outfield. Kyle Tucker is a no-brainer to play right field, and we'll likely see a platoon in left between Jason Heyward and Dubon.
One would assume Jake Meyers gets the nod to play center field due to his excellent play on defense, but you never know. As Chandler Rome noted in his article for The Athletic this week, Meyers has the 4th-worst OPS (.540) in baseball since the All-Star break.
Dubon is starting in center on Tuesday night. Make of that what you will. Could be nothing, or could be something.
We could also see Chas McCormick play some center or left field should he return healthy from his hand/finger injury.
Plus, how many pitchers and position players should the Astros carry in the Wild Card round? Should they keep more hitters so they can pinch hit for guys like Meyers should they find themselves down in a big game?
Don't miss the video above for the full discussion!
*Catch our weekly Stone Cold ‘Stros podcast. Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and Charlie Pallilo discuss varied Astros topics. The first post for the week generally goes up Monday afternoon (second part released Tuesday) via The SportsMap HOU YouTube channel or listen to episodes in their entirety at Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.