ASTROS @ MARINERS
June 23-25, 2017
What happened in the last series?
The Astros (50-24) just polished off a four-game sweep of the A’s in Oakland.
The Mariners (38-37) finished up a tour-game sweep of their own, scoring 27 runs against the Tigers. The M’s have shoved their way into second place in the AL West and are one of the many .500-ish teams clogging up the wild card standings.
Schedule/Probables
Friday, June 23 – 9:10pm CDT
Joe Musgrove (4-6, 5.09) vs. Felix Hernandez (2-2, 4.73)
Musgrove was the loser in last Sunday’s frustrating game against the Red Sox, giving up five runs in 4.2 innings but getting insufficient help from his offense. He pitched back-to-back starts against the Hags to open the season, combining for five runs and 12 hits on 10.1 innings.
There’s not much of a book on King Felix this year, having been on the DL since late April. Expect to see him on some sort of pitch count tonight. The Astros beat him on Opening Day, with Springer’s and Correa’s solo homers being the only real mistakes he made in the game.
Saturday, June 24 – 9:10pm CDT
Lance McCullers Jr. (6-1, 2.58) vs. Sam Gaviglio (3-1, 3.43)
LMJ is back from the DL, the second of the Astros’ starters to return to action. Houston has won eight of Lance’s last ten starts, including a 2-1 decision against the Mariners the day after Opening Day.
Gaviglio got his first call to the bigs in May to plug leaks in the Mariners rotation. In five of his seven starts he has allowed two or fewer earned runs and he boasts a very good 1.19 WHIP. He is a Keuchel clone, with a fastball that just reaches the low 90s and a sinker/slider combo that induces lots of ground balls.
Sunday, June 25 – 3:10pm CDT
Brad Peacock (4-1, 2.82) vs. Ariel Miranda (6-3, 4.04)
Peacock struck out eight A’s in 5.2 innings while allowing just one run. His only appearances against the M’s this year have been in relief, working out of the bases-loaded-no-out jam (after allowing a walk) in the extra-inning game George Springer ended up walking off, and two innings of one-hit relief in Seattle.
Miranda has been pretty solid all year, allowing two or fewer runs in eight of his last ten starts. The other two starts were doozies, though – eight runs allowed to the Phillies and six to the Twins. He’s 0-1 in two starts against Houston this season.