Game: Houston Astros @ Seattle Mariners
Time: 10:10 p.m. ET
Odds: Astros -115, Mariners -105
Total: 8.5
Fresh off a doubleheader sweep of the New York Yankees yesterday, the Houston Astros get the hottest team in baseball. Seattle hasn’t lost a game since the first day of July. The Mariners have won 14 straight and have solidified themselves as an AL wild card team. Seattle sits in second place in the AL West 10 games behind the Astros. They can gain a few games in this weekend series.
One would think Seattle has a slight advantage in this game for one reason – Houston starting pitcher Jose Urquidy. The Astros right-hander has put together a solid season. He is 8-4 overall, but his ERA is a bit high at 4.09. One of the reasons his ERA is above 4.00 is the Seattle Mariners.
Of Urquidy’s four losses this season, three of them have come against Seattle. In his second start of the season, Urquidy last four innings and gave up six earned runs. In May, he gave up 12 hits and five more earned runs to the Mariners. In his June start against Seattle, Urquidy gave up five total runs, four of which were earned. In none of those three starts did Urquidy make it to the fifth inning. In July, Urquidy has pitched pretty well. He is 2-1 with a 3.10 ERA for the month. However, he’s pitched two games against one of the worst teams in baseball – Oakland – and the other against the struggling Los Angeles Angels.
On the other side, Seattle will start Marco Gonzalez who is 5-9 with a 3.50 ERA this season. He’s had his share of ups and downs. The Mariners have won his last two starts. Seattle won his last start against Texas despite the fact that Gonzalez gave up 11 hits and five earned runs in six innings. Gonzalez has three starts against the Astros this season. He is 1-2 and hasn’t faced Houston since May 29. He pitched well in that game going 7.1 innings, scattering five hits, and allowing just two earned runs. Houston won 2-1.
In their current winning streak, the Mariners have won six straight home games. They also hold a 4-2 edge over Houston in the last six head-to-head games. The Astros have had their own success too. Houston has won 15 of its last 20 games. The Astros are also 6-2 in their last eight home games.
The Under is 5-1 in Houston’s last six games and the Under is 4-1 in Houston’s last five trips to Seattle. In the three games that Urquidy has pitched against Seattle this season, the Mariners produced at least six runs in each. In the last three games between the two teams, the Over is 2-1 and the teams averaged 8.34 runs per game. Still, the Under has hit in six of the last nine Astros-Mariners games. Six of Urquidy’s last eight starts have finished with at least nine runs.