Mariners at Astros
The first-place Seattle Mariners try for their seven consecutive series victory when they conclude a seven-game road trip against the last-place Houston Astros on Sunday. Seattle's Robinson Cano (.306, 11 home runs, 32 RBIs) continues to torment Houston as he went 4-for-5 with a pair of solo home runs in Saturday's 3-2 victory and is batting .451 with four blasts, 19 RBIs and five runs scored during his 12-game hitting streak versus the Astros.
After starting the season 3-6, the Mariners (18-12) won five straight three-game series 2-1 before sweeping Oakland earlier this week to begin their road trip. Seattle is second in the American League in ERA (3.03), runs scored (4.5 per game) and run differential (plus-30) while leading the AL West by 1 1/2 games over Texas. Houston (11-20) showed signs of life with four wins in its six games prior to Saturday and tied the contest 2-2 on Luis Valbuena's home run in the ninth inning before Cano's second blast came with one out in the 10th. Seattle's Hisashi Iwakuma is coming off his first victory of the season after being roughed up by the Astros in his previous start and opposes Collin McHugh, who has won two straight - including a 7-4 victory against Iwakuma and the Mariners on April 27.
TV: 2:10 p.m. ET, ROOT (Seattle, Houston)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Mariners RH Hisashi Iwakuma (1-3, 4.03 ERA) vs. Astros RH Collin McHugh (3-3, 6.59)
Iwakuma allowed one run and four hits in seven innings of an 8-2 victory in Oakland on Tuesday to snap a seven-start slide which included a career-worst four straight no-decisions dating to last season. “I had a lot of life on my fastball, especially down in the zone,” the 35-year-old Tokyo native told reporters. “I was able to get strike one, get ahead of the hitters.” Iwakuma is 4-5 with a 4.18 ERA in 11 starts versus Houston after yielding five runs in five innings two starts ago, but he struggles mightily with Jose Altuve (13-for-30, home run, seven RBIs).
McHugh permitted four runs and seven hits while striking out six in 5 2/3 innings of a 6-4 victory over Minnesota on Tuesday. The 28-year-old Illinois native has yielded four or more runs in four of his six starts this season and has a 1.83 WHIP and .358 batting average against after posting 1.28 and 2.63 numbers during his 19-win season in 2015. McHugh is 6-3 with a 5.30 ERA in nine starts versus Seattle after allowing two runs and five hits in five innings on April 27 and has some trouble with Cano (8-for-25), who went 2-for-2 with a solo home run and RBI single against him two starts back.
WALK-OFFS
1. Altuve (.317, nine home runs, 19 RBIs) did not start Saturday for the first time this season (sore left index finger) but entered as a pinch runner and grounded out in his only plate appearance.
2. Mariners 3B Kyle Seager (.232) went 3-for-4 with a solo home run Saturday and is 15-for-33 with three blasts and nine RBIs during his eight-game hitting streak, raising his average 93 points.
3. Houston RHP Will Harris hasn't allowed a run in 13 straight appearances (13 1/3 innings) and has permitted eight hits and one walk during that span.