WINNING BLUEPRINT
Critical factors that give Astros the edge in series finale with Mariners
Apr 9, 2025, 12:58 pm
A big game from Yordan Alvarez would come in handy. Photo by Christopher Pasatieri/Getty Images.
Houston Astros (5-6) at Seattle Mariners (4-8)
Wednesday, 4:10 p.m. EDT, T-Mobile Park
The Houston Astros and Seattle Mariners meet Wednesday afternoon to wrap up their three-game series, each looking to leave with a much-needed win. The teams have split the first two games, setting up a pivotal rubber match between two AL West foes still trying to find their footing in the early going.
Pitching Matchup:
Houston hands the ball to Hunter Brown (1-1, 3.00 ERA), who’s been sharp through his first two outings with 15 strikeouts and just a 1.00 WHIP. He’ll be opposed by Seattle’s Luis Castillo (0-0, 9.00 ERA), who’s struggled out of the gate, allowing eight runs in as many innings while posting a 2.67 WHIP.
Team Trends:
The Mariners are 4-5 at home but just 4-8 overall, and they’re winless in games where they’ve scored five or more runs (0-2), highlighting inconsistency on both sides of the ball. Meanwhile, the Astros have won three of five on the road and hold a 5-3 record when they out-hit their opponents.
Both lineups have cooled off over the last 10 games. Seattle is batting .203 during that stretch with a 3-7 record, while Houston hasn’t fared much better, hitting .198 and going 4-6. Both clubs have been outscored by 11 runs in that span.
Players to Watch:
Jorge Polanco has been a bright spot for Seattle, going 10-for-24 with two home runs and 10 RBIs over his last 10 games. Julio Rodríguez continues to be a power threat with three homers and a triple. For Houston, Jose Altuve leads the team with three home runs, and Isaac Paredes has started to string together quality at-bats.
Betting Line:
BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Mariners -128, Astros +108; over/under is 7 runs.
With both teams hungry to build momentum, Wednesday's matinee could come down to which starter settles in early—and whether either offense can finally break through.
Here's a look at the Astros lineup for today's finale.
The Astros against Luis F. Castillo: Altuve DH, Paredes 5, Alvarez 7, Walker 3, Peña 6, Caratini 2, Rodgers 4, Meyers 8, Smith 9
Brown RHP
— Chandler Rome (@Chandler_Rome) April 9, 2025
Jose Altuve will get some rest in the DH spot, with Yordan Alvarez playing left field. Victor Caratini will get the start at catcher after providing the game-winning hit on Tuesday night. Cam Smith is starting again in right field after collecting his first big league RBI in Game 2.
*ChatGPT assisted.
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Cal Raleigh hit a go-ahead, two-run homer off the right field foul pole and the Seattle Mariners beat the Houston Astros 5-3 on Friday night.
Raleigh's 17th homer followed Julio Rodríguez's tying RBI double in the seventh inning. Leody Taveras homered among his three hits, and Miles Mastrobuoni also hit a solo home run.
Emerson Hancock (2-2) gave up three runs and nine hits in six innings, striking out three and walking none. Hancock won for the first time in six starts, and Andrés Muñoz got the last three outs for 17th save while maintaining his 0.00 ERA.
Isaac Paredes hit his 11th homer of the season and seventh in the past 10 games for Houston.
Jose Altuve had three hits after hitting two homers Thursday. The former second-baseman easily threw out Raleigh when the Mariners' catcher tried to score from second on Taveras' line-drive single to left in the sixth.
Cam Smith also had three hits for the Astros.
Altuve played his 1,870th career game, tying Jośe Cruz for third-most in Astros history behind Craig Biggio (2,850) and Jeff Bagwell (2,150).
Bryan Abreau (1-2) allowed two runs and three hits in 1 1/3 innings, giving up runs for just the second time in 21 appearances. He surrendered three to the Mariners on April 9 for his other loss.
Key moment
Rodríguez, back in the lineup after missing Thursday's game with back tightness, hit Abreu's first pitch for a down the right-field line to score Crawford from first. On the next pitch, Raleigh hit his homer to right.
Key stat
Mastrobuoni’s homer was his first with Seattle, and first in his four-year major league career since 2023 with the Chicago Cubs.
Up next
Seattle's Bryan Woo (5-1, 2.65) pitches against Houston's Framber Valdez (3-4, 3.57) on Saturday.