Houston Astros (29-16, first in the AL West) vs. Seattle Mariners (18-27, fifth in the AL West)
Seattle; Friday, 9:40 p.m. EDT
PITCHING PROBABLES: Astros: Justin Verlander (6-1, 1.22 ERA, .72 WHIP, 49 strikeouts); Mariners: Chris Flexen (1-6, 4.98 ERA, 1.43 WHIP, 31 strikeouts)
LINE: Astros -200, Mariners +169; over/under is 7 runs
BOTTOM LINE: The Seattle Mariners host the Houston Astros on Friday to begin a three-game series.
Seattle has a 10-9 record at home and an 18-27 record overall. Mariners hitters are batting a collective .233, which ranks ninth in the AL.
Houston has a 15-10 record in road games and a 29-16 record overall. The Astros are 14-0 in games when they hit two or more home runs.
The teams play Friday for the seventh time this season. The Astros lead the season series 4-2.
TOP PERFORMERS: J.P. Crawford has eight doubles, a triple and four home runs for the Mariners. Julio Rodriguez is 11-for-40 with a double and three home runs over the last 10 games.
Yordan Alvarez leads Houston with 12 home runs while slugging .551. Kyle Tucker is 6-for-32 with three home runs and 10 RBI over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Mariners: 2-8, .232 batting average, 6.25 ERA, outscored by 21 runs
Astros: 6-4, .239 batting average, 2.45 ERA, outscored opponents by seven runs
INJURIES: Mariners: Abraham Toro: 10-Day IL (shoulder), Erik Swanson: 15-Day IL (right shouler), Ken Giles: 60-Day IL (finger), Tom Murphy: 10-Day IL (shoulder), Mitch Haniger: 10-Day IL (ankle), Evan White: 60-Day IL (sports hernia), Casey Sadler: 60-Day IL (shoulder)
Astros: Jake Odorizzi: 15-Day IL (leg), Taylor Jones: 60-Day IL (back), Lance McCullers Jr.: 60-Day IL (forearm), Jacob Meyers: 10-Day IL (shoulder)
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