Astros at Mariners
The Houston Astros are starting to warm up at the plate again and look to take that momentum on the road when they begin a 10-game trek with the first of three games against the Seattle Mariners on Monday. The American League-best Astros, who went 10-17 from Aug. 1-30, have recorded 29 runs and 46 hits during a four-game winning streak after sweeping a three-game set against the New York Mets over the weekend.
Carlos Correa returned to the lineup for the first time in 1 ½ months on Sunday and went 1-for-3 with an RBI while Josh Reddick continued his surge with two hits and is 8-for-16 with seven RBIs over his last four games. With newcomer Justin Verlander scheduled to start the second game of the series, Dallas Keuchel gets the call on the mound in the opener for the Astros. Seattle, which sits 2 ½ games behind Minnesota for the AL’s second wild card, began its nine-game homestand with three straight victories over Oakland as Robinson Cano and Mitch Haniger played big roles. Cano is 6-for-9 with two homers and six RBIs in his last two games while Hanger has gone 10-for-17 over his last four contests, belting a pair of shots and driving in six runs.
TV: 6:40 p.m. ET, AT&T SportsNet-Southwest (Houston), ROOT Northwest (Seattle)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Astros LH Dallas Keuchel (11-3, 2.91 ERA) vs. Mariners RH Erasmo Ramirez (5-5, 4.43)
Keuchel struggled last time out against Texas as he allowed six runs on five hits and three walks in six innings after posting three straight quality starts. The 2015 AL Cy Young Award winner is 2-3 with a 5.35 ERA in seven turns since returning from the disabled list but is 6-1 on the road this year. Danny Valencia (8-for-18, two homers) and Nelson Cruz (9-for-24, three homers) have caused trouble for Keuchel, who is 6-5 with a 2.82 ERA in 13 career games (12 starts) versus Seattle.
Ramirez goes after his fifth straight quality start after permitting two runs over six innings in a loss at Baltimore on Tuesday. The 27-year-old Nicaraguan has given up six earned runs in 24 frames over his last four starts but has notched just one victory and owns a 3.62 ERA in six outings since being acquired from Tampa Bay. Jake Marisnick is 2-for-5 with a homer versus Ramirez, who is 3-1 with a 3.38 ERA in seven career appearances (four starts) against Houston.
WALK-OFFS
1. Seattle 3B Kyle Seager is one home run shy of reaching 20 for his sixth straight season.
2. Houston 2B Jose Altuve, who leads the majors with a .357 batting average, has scored eight runs in his last four games.
3. Mariners SS Jean Segura is 8-for-14 during a four-game hitting streak after registering three hits in each of his last two contests.