Verlander expected to start for the Astros against the Mariners
Seattle Mariners (37-49, fifth in the AL West) vs. Houston Astros (51-32, first in the AL West)
Houston; Saturday, 8:15 p.m. EDT
PITCHING PROBABLES: Mariners: Yusei Kikuchi (4-5, 5.11 ERA, 1.49 WHIP, 63 strikeouts) Astros: Justin Verlander (10-3, 2.67 ERA, .76 WHIP, 142 strikeouts)
LINE: Astros favored by 1 1/2 runs; over/under is 9 1/2 runs
BOTTOM LINE:
The Astros are 22-6 against teams from the AL West. Houston ranks third in the league in hitting with a .267 batting average, Michael Brantley leads the team with an average of .314.
The Mariners are 18-23 against opponents from the AL West. Seattle has hit 146 home runs this season, second in the MLB. Daniel Vogelbach leads the team with 19, averaging one every 13.2 at-bats.
TOP PERFORMERS: Alex Bregman leads the Astros with 34 extra base hits and is slugging .536. Yuli Gurriel is 13-for-41 with three doubles, three home runs and four RBIs over the last 10 games for Houston.
Vogelbach leads the Mariners with 19 home runs and has 47 RBIs. Domingo Santana is 11-for-37 with four doubles, four home runs and 11 RBIs over the last 10 games for Seattle.
LAST 10 GAMES: Astros: 3-7, .277 batting average, 5.82 ERA, outscored by 23 runs
Mariners: 6-4, .257 batting average, 4.23 ERA, outscored opponents by 11 runs
Astros Injuries: Joe Smith: 60-day IL (achilles), Brad Peacock: 10-day IL (shoulder), Lance McCullers Jr.: 60-day IL (elbow), Yordan Alvarez: day-to-day (knee), Aledmys Diaz: 10-day IL (hamstring), Carlos Correa: 10-day IL (rib).
Mariners Injuries: Arodys Vizcaino: 60-day IL (shoulder), Sam Tuivailala: 60-day IL (achilles/shoulder), Hunter Strickland: 60-day IL (lat), Connor Sadzeck: 10-day IL (elbow), Felix Hernandez: 10-day IL (shoulder), Brandon Brennan: 10-day IL (shoulder), Chasen Bradford: 60-day IL (forearm), Mitch Haniger: 10-day IL (testicle), Braden Bishop: 10-day IL (neck), Ryon Healy: 10-day IL (back).
