Astros face Seattle, aim to build on Cole's strong outing
Houston Astros (103-54, first in the AL West) vs. Seattle Mariners (66-91, fifth in the AL West)
Seattle; Wednesday, 10 p.m. EDT
PITCHING PROBABLES: Astros: Zack Greinke (17-5, 3.06 ERA) Mariners: Yusei Kikuchi (6-10, 5.55 ERA)
BOTTOM LINE: Houston heads into the matchup fresh off a strong showing by Gerrit Cole. Cole went seven innings, giving up zero runs on two hits with 14 strikeouts against Seattle.
The Mariners are 25-46 against AL West opponents. The Seattle pitching staff averages 7.8 strikeouts per nine innings, Marco Gonzales leads them with a mark of 6.6.
The Astros are 52-19 against AL West Division teams. Houston has hit 278 home runs this season, third in the American League. Alex Bregman leads the club with 40, averaging one every 13.5 at-bats. The Astros won the last meeting 3-0. Gerrit Cole recorded his 19th victory and Bregman went 2-for-4 with a home run and an RBI for Houston. Tommy Milone took his 10th loss for Seattle.
TOP PERFORMERS: Daniel Vogelbach leads the Mariners with 30 home runs and is batting .210. Shed Long is 17-for-44 with three doubles, a triple, three home runs and eight RBIs over the last 10 games for Seattle.
Bregman leads the Astros with 109 RBIs and is batting .295. Yordan Alvarez is 12-for-29 with three doubles, three home runs and five RBIs over the last 10 games for Houston.
LAST 10 GAMES: Mariners: 6-4, .250 batting average, 3.88 ERA, outscored opponents by five runs
Astros: 8-2, .259 batting average, 2.60 ERA, outscored opponents by 29 runs
Mariners Injuries: Arodys Vizcaino: (shoulder), Connor Sadzeck: (elbow), Chasen Bradford: (forearm/elbow), Austin Adams: (knee), Mitch Haniger: (testicle), Jake Fraley: (thumb), Ryon Healy: (back).
Astros Injuries: Aaron Sanchez: (pectoral), Collin McHugh: (undisclosed), Lance McCullers Jr.: (elbow), Carlos Correa: (back).
