Mariners open big series vs. division-leading Astros

The Seattle Mariners have been up and down recently.

They'll need to be at their best coming out of the All-Star break as they'll play host to the American League West-leading Houston Astros in a three-game series beginning Friday night at T-Mobile Park.

When the Mariners were last at home, they pitched three consecutive shutouts in sweeping Pittsburgh.

They then lost three in a row in New York against the Yankees, including blowing a five-run lead over the final two innings of the series finale after Bryan Woo took a no-hitter into the eighth.

Then they traveled to Detroit, where they scored 35 runs in sweeping a three-game set against the Tigers, the team with the best record in baseball.

"I can't give enough credit to those guys in that clubhouse to bounce back," Mariners manager Dan Wilson said. "That's what this game is all about. You have to be able to go on and come back the next day. And these guys prove that over and over and over again.

"We've pushed (the Yankees series) aside, we've moved on, and this one feels really good because of it."

Cal Raleigh homered twice in the opener in Detroit, giving him an MLB-leading 38 for the season, before winning the Home Run Derby in Atlanta. Julio Rodriguez, who skipped the All-Star Game to rest, went 6-for-12 against the Tigers with two doubles, three homers and six RBIs, increasing his OPS (on-base plus slugging percentage) from .687 to .731.

"These last few days have been incredible," Mariners pitcher George Kirby said. "I feel like every ball (the offense) put in play got through a hole, or was hard-hit or in the gap or a home run. They have really been seeing the ball well. ... It's always good when you can get a lot of run support."

In contrast, the Astros lost five of their last six games on a homestand against Cleveland and Texas heading into the All-Star break. That allowed the second-place Mariners to pull within five games in the division race.

Astros manager Joe Espada said he wasn't concerned by the downturn.

"(We're in) a really good spot," Espada said. "If we would have drawn this up and envisioned us having a strong first half compared to last year -- 16 games over .500, five games up in the division -- that's exactly where a team that's trying to achieve a goal of winning the division, that's exactly where we wanted to be."

All-Star pitcher Hunter Brown echoed those comments.

"I think that we're the best team in our division and the best team in the league," he said. "Sitting in first place and in a good spot is exactly where we want to be and where we think we should be."

The Astros are set to start left-hander Brandon Walter (1-2, 3.98 ERA) on Friday, while the Mariners have yet to name a starter.

Walter is set to make his eighth career start. He suffered a 4-2 loss to visiting Cleveland on July 9 despite allowing just two runs on two hits over six innings, with no walks and seven strikeouts. Walter will be facing the Mariners for the first time in his career.

--Field Level Media