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Mariners Game #122 Preview, 8/18/23: SEA at HOU

Once more into the breach

Division Series - Seattle Mariners v Houston Astros - Game Two Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images

The Mariners escape Kansas City having secured a series win, barely, and will now face a much tougher team in the Houston Astros, who are healthy now and a much different team than Seattle won a series against in Houston prior to the All-Star Break. Houston will also be bringing the best of their rotation in Cy Young candidate Framber Valdez and a pair of Rookie of the Year candidates in J.P. France and Hunter Brown, while the Mariners will have be throwing their own pair of rookies in Emerson Hancock and Bryce Miller, who takes the ball tonight to face the Astros for a second time in his home state.

Lineups:

Here’s the Astros lineup. Kyle Tucker is a late scratch.

Today’s game information:

Tonight’s game starts at 5:10 PT. It will be televised on ROOT Sports NW, with Dave Sims and Ryan Rowland-Smith on the call. It’ll be fun to listen to Hyphen talk about Bryce Miller’s pitching. Over on the radio, 710 AM Seattle Sports, you can hear Rick Rizzs and Gary Hill Jr. on the call.

Today in Mariners history:

  • 1995: Mike Blowers hit his third grand slam of the month, tying a major-league record.
  • 2000: Edgar Martinez plays in his 1,500th career game and hits his 29th homer of the season, tying a career-high; he’d finish the season with 37.
  • 2001: Kazuhiro Sasaki sets a new Mariners record with his 38th save of the season in a 7-6 win at New York.
  • 2017: In a 7-1 win over the Rays, Nelson Cruz hit a 482-foot home run in the 9th inning, the logest in Tropicana Field history according to MLB Statcast.
  • 2018: Where were you for the balk-off? I was watching the game with Grant and John at Latona Pub and we doubled over with laughter. With the bases loaded in the bottom of the 10th, the Mariners won on a balk-off against the Dodgers, taking the game 5-4 on a balk with Kyle Seager at the plate, allowing Cameron Maybin to score.
  • 2019: Yusei Kikuchi throws 96-pitch CG SHO in a 7-0 win at Toronto, marking the fewest pitches by a Mariner in a CG SHO since King Felix’s 95-pitch, 5-hit shutout over LAA in 2006.