After a convincing 11-1 win on Friday night, the Houston Astros will try to make it two in a row against the Seattle Mariners on Saturday. The Astros are heavy favorites at -210 compared to Seattle’s moneyline of +180.
It’s been a mostly disappointing season for the Astros thus far. But with a win on Saturday, they can get back to .500 and keep themselves in the race for another AL West race. After losing five in a row last week, Houston is back on track, winning three of four.
Meanwhile, the Mariners continue to see their season go down the tubes. Seattle is yet to win a series this month, going 3-10 in August. The Mariners are now 7-14 overall and last in the AL West, already 7.5 games off the pace.
New Nick on the Block
Nick Margevicius will get the start for Seattle on Saturday. It will be his second start of the season and 14th of his major league career. The lefty tossed 3.1 scoreless innings last time out against the Rockies, conceding just three hits and one walk. He should be a little more stretched out for his second start, although he’s unlikely to go more than five innings, likely putting the game in the hands of the Seattle bullpen.
Of course, five innings is the best-case scenario if Margevicius can handle Houston’s lineup. Despite some struggles earlier this month, the Astros have started to wake up over the past week.
Alex Bregman and Josh Reddick have carried the lineup this month while Yuli Gurriel has been a consistent contributor all season. More importantly, George Springer has started to heat up after a poor start to the season, giving the Astros a consistent table-setter in front of their big bats.
Another Rookie
The Astros will also start a rookie on Saturday, as Cristian Javier will make his fourth start of the season. Houston is desperate for its young starters to get going with Justin Verlander sidelined and Lance McCullers Jr. struggling.
Javier was solid in his first two starts but gave up five runs in three innings in his last start with all of the runs coming off home runs. On the bright side, he handled the Dodgers in his first start of the season, so he’s proven he’s capable of handling quality lineups.
Of course, the Mariners are a few bats shy of a quality lineup. Seattle’s best hitters this year have been young outfielders Kyle Lewis and Dylan Moore. Veteran third baseman Kyle Seager has also provided a steady contributor in the middle of the lineup. However, Seattle’s lineup is lacking depth and power outside of that trio. If Javier can get off to a good start, he can get into a good rhythm.
Hot in Houston
The Astros scoring 11 runs in Friday’s game is a good sign for Houston. With a rookie on the mound, nothing is far from certain. However, if the Astros can keep scoring runs, the Mariners will have a difficult time keeping up in a high-scoring game.
Despite a moneyline that won’t offer much of a payout, bet on the Astros to win on Saturday.
