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The Astros and Mariners square off on Sunday with first pitch set for 4:10 p.m. ET. The game takes place at T-Mobile Park in Seattle, WA and will only be available on local TV or through an MLB.tv subscription. A fantastic pitching duel between left-handers is on tap as the Astros’ Framber Valdez will go up against the Mariners’ Robbie Ray.
The Astros (63-32) have won four straight games out of the All-Star break against the Yankees and Mariners. The Astros are just 1.5 games behind the Yanks for the best record in baseball. Yordan Alvarez is slashing .322/.424/.676 with four homers in 11 games against the Mariners this year. Jose Altuve scored a run in Saturday’s 3-1 win and is batting .318 this month. Valdez is 4-0 with a 1.21 ERA through seven games (five starts) in his career against the Mariners. He has also recorded a quality start — six-plus innings and three or fewer earned runs allowed — in 15 consecutive starts.
The Mariners (51-44) entered this AL West series on a 14-game winning streak. However, Houston pitching has held them to three runs. It also doesn’t help that rookie All-Star and Home Run Derby runner-up Julio Rodriguez has missed both games due to left wrist soreness. With him out, the Mariners need players such as Carlos Santana to step up. Santana provided Seattle’s lone run yesterday with a home run, and he has five homers in his past 10 games. Ray has a 1.36 ERA with 58 strikeouts in 46.1 IP over his past seven starts. However, he has a 5.40 ERA in seven career games versus Houston. He did get a win against the Astros earlier this year, but he allowed three homers in five innings during that start.
Astros vs. Mariners
Pitchers: Framber Valdez vs. Robbie Ray
First pitch: 4:10 p.m. ET
Astros local broadcast: AT&T SportsNet Southwest
Mariners local broadcast: Root Sports Northwest
Live stream: MLB.tv (subscription)
Odds, picks & predictions
Run Line: Astros -1.5 (+150)
Run total: 7
Moneyline odds: Astros -125, Mariners +105
Moneyline pick: Astros -125
The injury to Rodriguez is a killer for Seattle. The hope is he will avoid the injured list. It makes the task much easier for Valdez. Ray will do what he can to keep the Mariners in it, but Alvarez, Altuve, Alex Bregman, etc. will eventually do enough to give the Astros another triumph.
Player prop pick: Robbie Ray OVER 4.5 hits allowed (-115)
As noted, Houston hit Ray hard when the two sides last met. The eight hits he allowed in that June start is the second-most he’s allowed in a game this season. Although the Astros’ lineup is a couple of bats away from being fully healthy, they have more than enough to get five-plus hits against the Mariners’ ace today.
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