Astros, Mariners send out All-Star pitchers in AL West battle

Games just mean more after the All-Star break.

After losing Friday night in the opener of a three-game series in Seattle, the Houston Astros altered their pitching rotation to send All-Star Hunter Brown (9-4, 2.43 ERA) to the mound Sunday afternoon.

On Saturday, the Mariners announced they'd start their own All-Star right-hander, Bryan Woo (8-4, 2.75), as they go for a sweep of the American League West-leading Astros.

Houston's division lead is down to three games after Seattle rookie Cole Young singled with one out in the bottom of the 11th inning to give the Mariners a 7-6 victory Saturday.

It was the fifth consecutive victory for the Mariners and Houston's seventh loss in eight games.

"What a ballgame," Mariners manager Dan Wilson said. "Not sure where to start or where to finish, but just a heck of a ballgame. First and foremost, I think you talk about the fight that's in that clubhouse. We talk about it a lot, and tonight it showed up again."

The Mariners tied the score in the bottom of the 10th off Astros closer Josh Hader on one of the flukiest plays of the season.

With Cal Raleigh at third base, Hader threw a high, inside fastball to Dylan Moore. The pitch went off the knob of Moore's bat and dribbled toward the mound as Moore began hopping around like he was hit by the pitch. Raleigh alertly raced home as the umpires signaled the ball was in play. Astros manager Joe Espada asked for a video review, but it confirmed the call.

"You definitely heard contact with something there, and it just sounded like it hit something solid," Wilson said. "But you know, until you see the replay, you're just not sure. But stranger things have happened in this game and it's crazy sometimes. The way the ball bounced for us tonight, it went in our favor."

The injury-riddled Astros will likely be without All-Star third baseman Isaac Paredes in the series finale. Paredes left in the third inning Saturday with right hamstring discomfort after a single off the left-field wall. Paredes began limping midway down the first-base line and hobbled off the field with a trainer. Paredes missed three games last month after straining his left hamstring.

"He's pretty sore right now, we're going to run some tests," Espada said of Paredes.

Despite the loss, Espada couldn't fault his team after rallying from a three-run deficit to take a 5-4 lead.

"We fought back, we were one hit away from getting a win there," Espada said.

Brown is 1-3 with a 3.97 ERA in seven career starts against the Mariners. He took a no-decision in a 7-6 loss April 9 at Seattle despite pitching six scoreless innings. Brown suffered a 5-1 loss to visiting Texas last Sunday as he allowed four runs over five innings.

Woo took a no-hitter into the eighth inning in his last start before the All-Star break, July 10 at Yankee Stadium, in a game in which the Mariners blew a five-run lead and lost 6-5 in 10 innings. Woo is 1-1 with a 2.55 ERA in three previous starts against the Astros. The loss came in a 2-1 decision May 24 at Houston.

-Field Level Media