Two of the hottest teams in Baseball hook up as the Astros and Mariners open a three-game weekend AL West series in Seattle Friday night. Lefty Marco Gonzales will try to make it 15 in a row for the streaking Mariners here against Jose Urquidy for Houston.
Which way are we going with our free HOU/SEA pick?
MLB Betting Odds
Friday’s baseball betting lines opened Houston at around -125 over Seattle, with an over/under of 8.5 runs. Early betting action then dipped the Astros a nickel to -120.
Astros-Mariners MLB Betting Preview
Houston just opened its “second half” by sweeping a doubleheader from the Yankees Thursday by scores of 3-2 and 7-5. Just before the All-Star break, the Astros won four of their last five games. So Houston is 6-1 in its last seven times out.
At 61-32 overall, the Astros lead the AL West by ten games over second-place Seattle, and they now trail the Yankees by just 2.5 games in the battle for the best record in the American League.
The Mariners, meanwhile, sail a 14-game winning streak into Friday night after sweeping three games at Texas just before the break. Seattle last lost a game back on July 1, and just before that, they won eight of 10. So the Mariners are 22-3 over its last 25 games.
At 51-42 overall, Seattle still trails Houston by ten games in the divisional race but also now owns the No. 2 spot in the AL wild-card standings, a half-game behind No. 1 Tampa Bay and three games ahead of No. 4 Boston.
This season series is tied at six games apiece.
Friday’s Pitching Match-Up
Gonzales, by our strict standards, is 10/18 on quality starts this season and working on a run of five in a row. Last time out, 15 days ago, he held Toronto to three runs – two earned – on eight hits through 6 2/3 innings of an 8-3 Seattle victory. And over his last five starts, he’s allowed just nine ER and 31 hits through 32 1/3 innings.
The Mariners are only 7-11 with Gonzales this season, but they should probably be at least 10-8, based on his performances.
Over three starts against Houston already this season, Gonzales allowed six runs and 17 hits through 20 1/3 innings. Thanks to some poor run support Seattle lost two of those three games.
Urquidy is 6/17 on quality starts this year and working on a run of four straight. Last time out, two Fridays ago, he held Oakland to three runs and four hits through eight frames of an 8-3 Astros win. And over his last four starts, he’s held foes to just six runs and 11 hits, although four of those left the yard, over 27 innings.
Houston is 11-6 with Urquidy this year, 4-1 his last five times out.
However, over three starts already this season against Seattle, Urquidy gave up 15 ER and 27 hits, including four home runs, through 13 total innings. The Astros lost all three of those games.
Splits With the Sticks
Houston is batting .232 against left-handed pitching this season, with a .306 team OBP and a .402 team slugging percentage.
Seattle is slashing .236/.315/.391 against right-handed pitching. The Mariners have also scored at least five runs seven times over their last ten games.
The Bullpens
The Seattle bullpen owns a 3.45 ERA this season, along with an ML-best 1.10 WHIP.
The Astros pen owns a 2.71 ERA and a 1.13 WHIP.
We rank both these bullpens among the top half-dozen in Baseball.
- Get more details: Astros vs. Mariners 7/22/22 Betting Stats
MLB Betting Trends
The Astros are 31-18 on the road this season and 21-10 against left-handed starters.
The Mariners are 24-20 at home and 43-29 against right-handed starters.
Totals Report
- The Under is a lopsided 57-32 in Astros games this season.
- The Under is 47-44 in Mariners games.
- The Under is 24-19 at T-Mobile Park this season.
- The Under is 7-5 in Astros-Mariners games this season.
