Seattle Mariners at Houston Astros

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
SEA	0	4	0	1	0	0	0	2	3	10	15	0
HOU	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	2	1	5	8	2

Emerson Hancock got the ball for Seattle and Hayden Wesneski for Houston, a pairing that looked lopsided on paper and didn't play out that way. Hancock is 6-7 with a 3.30 ERA but got roughed up for 9 hits over just 4.2 innings his last time out against Tampa Bay. Wesneski, still working his way back into form, carries a 5.16 ERA that hides how sharp his last start actually was — 7 innings, 3 earned runs and only 83 pitches against San Francisco.

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FINAL

Spread

ML

Total

Mariners(57-66)

LWLLL

10

+1.5-178+115o8.5-104

Astros(63-60)

WWLWL

5

-1.5+174-117u8.5+106

Best BetAstros -125

Postgame

This one missed badly. The Astros never led after the second inning and got outhit 15-8 while committing 2 errors, and Wesneski's bounce-back case from his last start didn't carry over. The bullpen-fatigue worry in our bear case turned out to be the real story — Houston simply couldn't hold Seattle down after burning relievers the night before.

Pregame

Houston's the moneyline favorite here, and the price reflects a team that's won its last 2 and rolls out a bullpen that's been nearly untouchable late — Josh Hader hasn't allowed a hit in over 10 innings this stretch. Seattle's the live dog off a rough week, but they still have to prove they can string together wins against this pitching staff. Lay the number and trust Houston's relief corps to close it out.

Seattle came in banged up through the middle of the diamond, with J.P. Crawford and Colt Emerson both on the injured list with wrist issues and Taylor Ward sitting out with a sore quad. Houston is still waiting on Carlos Correa to work his way back from an ankle injury of his own. None of that stopped the board from installing the Astros as home favorites, with Yordan Alvarez still running away with the AL home run and average races.

Emerson Hancock

(7-7)·3.37 ERA

Aug 9 vs Rays

L

4.2IP

2ER

3K

1BB

96P

08/15 Lineup

Hayden Wesneski

(3-1)·4.23 ERA

Aug 10 @ Giants

ND

7.0IP

3ER

4K

2BB

83P

08/15 Lineup

Both clubs were coming off an extra-inning slugfest just hours earlier, when Christian Walker's walk-off homer decided things for Houston — the kind of game that leaves a bullpen picture unsettled heading into the next one. That set the stage for a very different result the next time out.

Seattle put up 4 in the second and never really let go, tacking on insurance in the 8th and 9th to turn a tight one into a laugher. Houston's defense didn't help itself either, committing 2 errors that turned innings over that should've ended. The Mariners finished with 15 hits to the Astros' 8 — a total reversal from the kind of game that's had Seattle searching for answers all month.

Seattle Mariners

(10)

• Day-To-DayTaylor Ward (LF) — Ward (quadriceps) isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Astros08/15
• 10-Day-ILColt Emerson (SS) — The Mariners placed Emerson on the 10-day injured list Friday with left wrist inflammation, Adam Jude of The Seattle Times reports.08/14
• 10-Day-ILJ.P. Crawford (SS) — Mariners general manager Justin Hollander said July 31 that Crawford is expected to be "a couple weeks down" after requiring an injection to relieve inflammation in his left wrist, MLB.com reports.08/09
• 10-Day-ILLuke Raley (RF) — Mariners general manager Justin Hollander said Tuesday that Raley is expected to miss the rest of the season after sustaining a left forearm strain, Adam Jude of The Seattle Times reports.08/05
• 15-Day-ILMatt Brash (RP) — Brash (lat) is scheduled to throw a bullpen session Saturday, Adam Jude of The Seattle Times reports.08/14
• 15-Day-ILCole Wilcox (RP) — Wilcox left Thursday's game versus the Tigers due to left oblique tightness.08/07
• 60-Day-ILCooper Criswell (RP) — Mariners general manager Justin Hollander said July 31 that Criswell (shoulder) has resumed a throwing progression, MLB.com reports.08/09
• 60-Day-ILCarlos Vargas (RP) — Vargas (lat) is expected to begin a minor-league rehab assignment with High-A Everett on Saturday night, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.08/08
• 60-Day-ILWill Wilson (3B) — Wilson (thumb) has gone 3-for-9 with two RBI and a 1:2 BB:K in his first three rehab games between High-A Everett and Triple-A Tacoma.06/17
• 60-Day-ILLogan Evans (SP) — The Mariners placed Evans (elbow) on the 60-day injured list Monday.05/08

Houston Astros

(4)

• 10-Day-ILBrice Matthews (CF) — General manager Dana Brown said Sunday that the Astros are targeting "mid-August, potentially the third week of August" for Matthews' (knee) return from the 10-day injured list, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.08/05
• 15-Day-ILMike Burrows (SP) — Burrows (elbow) will make a rehab start for Triple-A Sugar Land on Friday, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.08/11
• 60-Day-ILCarlos Correa (SS) — Correa (ankle) has been cleared to hit off a tee, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.08/11
• 60-Day-ILBrandon Walter (SP) — The Astros announced Friday that Walter (elbow) is in the midst of a throwing progression at the team's complex in West Palm Beach, Fla., Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.06/04

That search starts and ends with Cal Raleigh, who's been blunt about how far he's fallen off last year's MVP-caliber pace, and this was a rare night where the lineup clicked without needing him to carry it. Houston, meanwhile, is trying to hold off Texas in a tightening AL West race, and dropping one at home to a sub-.500 club doesn't help that cause.

Seattle Mariners

(57-66)

Aug 15L@ Astros7-10

Aug 13W@ Yankees1-0

Aug 12L@ Yankees5-10

Aug 11L@ Yankees1-4

Aug 9Lvs Rays1-4

Houston Astros

(63-60)

Aug 15Wvs Mariners10-7

Aug 12W@ Giants2-1

Aug 12L@ Giants1-4

Aug 11W@ Giants6-3

Aug 10L@ Padres2-7

These two already know each other well from this series, and with the way the last two games have gone — a walk-off, then a laugher — there's no telling which version shows up next. For a Houston club trying to lock down the division and a Seattle club trying to salvage a lost summer, that unpredictability is exactly the problem.