Astros face Mariners in matchup for division supremacy

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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Texas hosts Clemson on Dec. 21. Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images.

No. 4 Texas will be competing for a return trip to Atlanta when it plays at home against No. 13 Clemson in the first round of the College Football Playoff.

The winner of the Clemson-Texas first-round game on Dec. 21 will play No. 10 Arizona State in the Jan. 1 Peach Bowl in Atlanta in the CFP quarterfinals.

For Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik, who is from Austin, Texas, the game will be a homecoming.

“We recruited him hard," Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said Sunday, calling Klubnik “a winner. He will do whatever it takes to put his team in position to be successful.”

Added Sarkisian: “When he made the decision to go to Clemson, honestly I wasn’t surprised. Both his parents went to (Texas) A&M.”

Klubnik applauded the announcement of the game at Texas for Clemson's seventh CFP appearance.

“For him to be going to his first playoff in Austin, Texas, where he grew up, you can’t make that up,” Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said. “Pretty cool opportunity for him and his family to go compete against Texas there in Austin.”

Swinney said his only visit to the Texas stadium was to watch Klubnik play in a high school playoff game.

“We’ve never played Texas or played in that stadium,” Swinney said. “... It’s going to be amazing. It’s one of the best venues in college football.”

The Longhorns (11-2) were seeded No. 5 in the CFP following their 22-19 overtime loss to Georgia on Saturday night in the Southeastern Conference championship game in Atlanta.

Sarkisian said his players were “really excited” to see Texas land the No. 5 seed and have the opportunity to play in the Longhorns' first game against Clemson.

Texas safety Andrew Mukuba is a Clemson transfer. Sarkisian said players already were calling the matchup the “Mukuba Bowl.”

Swinney said: “I love Mukuba. I just love his spirit and love his heart. He was a really neat kid.

“I certainly wish he had been able to finish here. He did everything that was asked of him at Clemson. Made a bunch of big plays.”

Clemson (10-3) beat SMU 34-31 in the Atlantic Coast Conference championship game Saturday night to land an automatic CFP berth. The Tigers are ranked No. 16 in the CFP but were given the 12th and lowest seed. As the fifth-highest ranked league champion, the Tigers do not get a bye and instead must visit Texas.

Arizona State (11-2) earned a bye by rolling over Iowa State 45-19 in the Big 12 championship game Saturday. The Sun Devils were led by running back Cam Skattebo's 170 rushing yards in their impressive win to cap their first season in the Big 12.

Peach Bowl president Gary Stokan noted the Sun Devils were picked to finish last in the Big 12.

“You proved them all wrong,” Stokan told Arizona State coach Kenny Dillingham.

Arizona State players celebrated the announcement of their No. 4 seed.

Dillingham said he hopes the conference championship and berth in the CFP helps him recruit and continue to build the program.

“Hopefully this stage will help get our branding out there, and show people that we can be one of the newer brands in college football," Dillingham said. "Every 10-15 years a new brand shows up, and a new brand becomes a national brand.”No. 4 Texas will be competing for a return trip to Atlanta when it plays at home against No. 13 Clemson in the first round of the College Football Playoff.