After completing a crucial sweep of the Texas Rangers on Wednesday, the Houston Astros now turn to their most important series of the season against the Seattle Mariners. The two teams are tied atop the American League West with nine games left in the regular season.
They’ll meet this weekend in Houston for a three-game set that could decide the division. With so few games remaining, the winner is likely to claim the division crown and a top-three seed, while the loser may have to settle for a wild-card spot.
The matchup couldn’t be closer. In 10 head-to-head meetings this season, the teams are 5-5.
When asked about the series, Mariners manager Dan Wilson said: “This is why you play. It’s exciting. I think everybody in there is ready to go and like I said, getting today, getting some momentum, and now it’s game on in Houston.”
Seattle may enter as slight favorites, bolstered by key trade-deadline additions since the two teams last met in mid-July. With MVP front-runner Cal Raleigh in addition to Bryan Woo, Eugenio Suarez and Julio Rodriguez, the Mariners will be tough to beat. But Houston has held firm recently despite injuries to key players.
Even without stars Josh Hader and Yordan Alvarez, the Astros have won six of their last 10, including a sweep of the division-rival Rangers to stay in the race.
With Hunter Brown, Framber Valdez and star shortstop Jeremy Peña leading the charge, Houston will be ready with the division title on the line this weekend.
