7/20/25

(Seattle, WA) A nice, long break didn’t necessarily come at a great time for the Seattle Mariners. After sweeping the best team in the American League in the Detroit Tigers, a little break cooled the M’s down a bit and they would not get to ease back into things with a three-game series at home with the team they are chasing in the AL West in the Houston Astros.

After Seattle blew their lead in the AL West, Houston had built up a seven-game lead in the West over the Mariners but a 1-5 stretch allowed the M’s to fight back to just five games back as the series began. Both teams also got to set up their rotations to try to build some momentum as we approach the next big landmark in the season in the Trade Deadline.

Mariners 6, Astros 1 (Game One)

Jumping into the opener, the two teams went with opposite philosophies for their starting pitcher. For Houston, they would go with a rookie lefty in Brandon Walter who the Mariners had never faced before. For Seattle, they would go with their veteran in Luis Castillo who has been Mr. Consistent for the M’s this season.

Both philosophies looked to work as designed as neither team had anything going in the first couple of innings. Houston would have the first good threat in the top of the 3rd. Back-to-back singles by Mauricio Dubón and Brice Matthews put two men on with nobody out. However, La Piedra was up to the task of escaping the jam. Isaac Paredes would fly out to Randy Arozarena in left before Cam Smith hit into a 6-4 fielder’s choice. Jose Altuve couldn’t clutch up with two outs as he had a rough day, striking out here to end the Houston threat.

The bottom of the 4th had good and bad for the Mariners. The bad came first after Julio Rodríguez walked to begin the inning before a baserunning blunder erased him. Cal Raleigh skied an infield pop-up in foul territory as Julio tried to steal second. J-Rod completely lost the ball which allowed Christian Walker to make the catch and then double Julio off at first base for a double play. The good came two pitches later. Walter would try to sneak a top rail fastball by Randy Arozarena but he is not missing mistakes right now. Arozarena clobbered it out to left field for his 10th home run in the last 14 games. It was Randy’s 18th home run of the season and gave Seattle the 1-0 lead.

Luis Castillo was brilliant for the Mariners, outdueling the strong outing from Brandon Walter. Castillo would pitch into the 7th where a single by Victor Caratini and a two-out walk to Taylor Trammell ended his day short of seven complete innings. Gabe Speier came in and closed the book on Castillo by getting Mauricio Dubón to flyout to Dylan Moore in right field. That would end the inning and Castillo’s line was complete with 6 2/3 scoreless innings and only three hits and two walks allowed while striking out seven. To start the second half on a high note, the Seattle veteran stepped up big and got the Mariners rolling towards the deadline.

Bennett Sousa was the first man out of the bullpen from Houston and he looked like he would cruise through the bottom of the 7th. Sousa retired Randy Arozarena and Donovan Solano on just five pitches before Mitch Garver came to the plate. He wasn’t waiting around either as he put the first pitch he saw in play. A fastball down the heart of the plate was hammered to straightaway center field and it got out easily for a solo shot and Garver’s sixth home run of the season. The blast from the backup catcher gave Seattle an insurance run and made it 2-0.

Matt Brash did not have a very good day on Friday night as his command just wasn’t there. He walked Brice Matthews to start the inning before losing the shutout on Isaac Paredes’ 15th double of the season made it 2-1. It did not look like things would get better before Brash battled back to strikeout Cam Smith. Brash would then get both Jose Altuve and Christian Walker to fly out to right to strand Paredes and keep the Mariners lead at 2-1.

Steven Okert would try to keep it a one-run game for Houston but failed to do so as he fell apart in the 8th. Cole Young led off with a walk and moved up to second on a sacrifice bunt by Ben Williamson. J.P. Crawford cashed in with an opposite field single to bring home Young and get that run back making it 3-1. Héctor Neris would then come in for the Astros and walked J-Rod before MVP chants rained down on Cal Raleigh. The Big Dumper gave the fans something to cheer for as he singled down the right field line to score Crawford and make it 4-1. An intentional walk to Randy Arozarena was followed by a sacrifice fly for Donovan Solano and a wild pitch to bring home two more, giving Seattle a 6-1 lead heading into the 9th.

With a big lead, Dan Wilson went to Eduard Bazardo instead of closer Andrés Muñoz. It turned out to be a smart moved as Bazardo mowed right through the Astros on just 14 pitches for a quick 1-2-3 inning to seal the opener. A big 8th inning helped Seattle pull away from Houston and start the second half off on the right foot with a 6-1 victory.

Notable Performances

Astros

Mariners

• Luis Castillo (W, 7-5)- 6.2 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 7 SO
• Randy Arozarena- 1-3, HR, RBI, R, BB
• Mitch Garver- 2-4, HR, RBI, R

Mariners 7, Astros 6 (11 Innings) (Game Two)

Game two of the series would turn out to be one of the craziest games the Mariners have played in 2025. They would face a familiar foe in Lance McCullers Jr. who continues to try to get back into his prime form from a few seasons ago. This time it would be Seattle rolling out a rookie as Logan Evans faced the Astros for the first time in his career.

Logan Evans would work out of a bit of trouble in the top of the 1st before a nice 1-2-3 2nd. In the bottom of the 2nd, Lance McCullers lost a bit of his command and it would cost him. After Randy Arozarena was thrown out at second trying to extend a single into a double, Jorge Polanco and Luke Raley both walked before Dominic Canzone was hit by a pitch to load the bases with one out. Ben Williamson would get the ball in play with a chopper to the right of the mound. McCullers would make a fantastic play to get Williamson at first, but Polanco would come in and score to put the M’s on the board 1-o. Cole Young would walk to load the bases but a generous strike three call on Crawford would end the Mariner threat.

Houston would be dealt another injury in the top of the 3rd as Isaac Paredes was pulled from the game after a single with a hamstring injury. Zack Short would run for Paredes and his speed paid dividends for the Astros as he went first to third on a single by Victor Caratini. Cam Smith would ground one into center field to bring home Short and tie the game up at 1-1.

Seattle wouldn’t trail for long as the Mariners chased McCullers in the bottom of the 3rd. A single by Julio Rodríguez looked harmless enough as he was erased on a fielder’s choice which put Randy Arozarena on first with two outs. Then Seattle struck. Jorge Polanco singled to center to put runners on the corners for Luke Raley. The big lefty would come through in the clutch with a base hit to right to score Arozarena and make it 2-1 M’s. Dominic Canzone kept the two-out rally alive as he sent one to the wall for his sixth double, bringing in Polanco and Raley to give the Mariners the 4-1 lead.

Logan Evans continued into the top of the 5th with the three-run lead but ran into some trouble. Jose Altuve doubled to begin the inning and a walk to Victor Caratini brought the tying run to the plate. Carlos Vargas would then come in from the bullpen and got a huge 6-3 double play for two big outs while Altuve moved up to third. Vargas couldn’t completely escape the trouble as Christian Walker singled to right to drive in Altuve, making it 4-2.

Tempers would flare in the top of the 6th after Carlos Vargas hit both Brice Matthews and Zack Short to put the tying run and bring the go-ahead run to the plate. The umpires would warn both teams to try to put out the fire before it really began. Houston would be fired up by the drama and Jose Altuve brought the Astros closer with a base hit to score Matthews and make it 4-3. Gabe Speier would take over, but Victor Caratini singled to welcome him to the game and tied the game up at 4-4. With two outs, Christian Walker once again came through with a clutch base hit to drive in Altuve and give Houston a 5-4 lead. Things almost got worse when Yainer Diaz tried to dunk one into right field that would have scored two, but a tremendous running catch by Cole Young ended the Astros big inning with no more damage being done.

Seattle still trailed by one as Bryan Abreu entered to pitch the bottom of the 8th. While he’s been completely dominant this season, Abreu has really struggled against the Mariners this year. Randy Arozarena continued that trend with his 22nd double of the season to begin the inning. He would move up to third on a sacrifice fly by Jorge Polanco before Donovan Solano was hit by a pitch. Dylan Moore ran for Solano and stole second to put the go-ahead run in scoring position. Dominic Canzone couldn’t get the job done as he struck out swinging for the second out. With the pressure on Miles Mastrobuoni, it would be a mistake from Abreu as a wild pitch would allow Arozarena to score, tying the game back up at 5-5.

Andrés Muñoz and Josh Hader both showed why they are All-Star closers in a scoreless 9th inning to send the game to extras. Matt Brash would pitch the 10th with Chas McCormick starting the inning at second. Mauricio Dubón led off with an infield single to put men at first and second. A sacrifice bunt by Brice Matthews moved them up to second and third before former Mariner, Taylor Trammell drove in McCormick with a sacrifice fly to center to put Houston back in front 6-5. Matt Brash would then load the bases before striking out Cam Smith to keep it a one-run game.

Josh Hader stayed out for the bottom of the 10th with Cal Raleigh beginning the inning at second. After Randy Arozarena walked to start the inning, Jorge Polanco laid down a sacrifice bunt to move the runners up to second and third. Dylan Moore then came to the plate and chaos ball ensued. A pitch ran up and in to Dylan Moore and it looked like it hit him in the hand. However, the ball it the knob of the bat and rolled back to Hader who bobbled the ball as Cal Raleigh scored. The review upheld the call and in a bizarre twist the game was tied back up 6-6 and headed to the 11th.

Eduard Bazardo continued his tremendous run with a quick 1-2-3 inning in the top of the 11th to give the Mariners a chance to walk it off in the home half. Dominic Canzone was the automatic runner at second and represented the winning run while Héctor Neris took over on the mound for Houston. Miles Mastrobuoni laid down a bunt to move Canzone to third with one out for Cole Young. Young made a great defensive play earlier to save two runs and this time got to be the hero at the plate. A line drive down the right field line stayed fair and earned Young his second career walk-off in just a month and a half of his career. A dramatic, chaos filled win gave the Mariners the 7-6 victory and the series win over the Astros.

Notable Performances

Astros

Mariners

• Cole Young- 1-4, RBI, BB, Defensive Gem
• Dominic Canzone- 1-3, 2B, 2 RBI, R, BB
• Logan Evans (ND)- 4 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 5 SO

Astros 11, Mariners 3 (Game Three)

With a chance for a sweep to pull within two games of the Houston Astros in the AL West, a terrific, All-Star filled pitching matchup was on the slate on Sunday afternoon. Bryan Woo and Hunter Brown would square off in what was an extremely pivotal game as Houston tried to end a skid while the Mariners looked for their sixth consecutive win.

It was a solid pitchers duel early as the game remained scoreless into the bottom of the 3rd. A couple of singles by Miles Mastrobuoni and Julio Rodríguez would put some pressure on Hunter Brown for the first time as he found himself in a one-out jam. A successful double steal amplified that pressure as the two men moved into scoring position. Cal Raleigh drew a walk to load the bases for Randy Arozarena who sent a fly ball to shallow left field that would be caught and the runners had to stay put. With the bags packed and two outs, Jorge Polanco would continue to find success in clutch situations. A base hit to right field would get Seattle on the board as both Mastrobuoni and Rodríguez scored to give the Mariners a 2-0 lead.

Bryan Woo needed just five pitches in the 4th, forcing Brown back onto the mound without much of a break. He would hit Mitch Garver and walk Miles Mastrobuoni with one out to get in some more hot water. A strikeout of J.P. Crawford took some pressure off but Julio Rodríguez would get the job done. A single center would bring home Garver as the Mariners continued to find two-out success, taking a 3-0 lead in the process and chasing Hunter Brown after only four innings.

Momentum can be a cruel thing in sports and Houston killed the Seattle momentum in the 5th. A walk to Taylor Trammell and a single for Mauricio Dubón put a couple of men on with nobody out. Cooper Hummel would hit into a fielder’s choice and put runners on the corners with one out. Bryan Woo couldn’t escape the trouble as Shay Whitcomb blooped one into shallow left field that went off the glove of J.P. Crawford for an error, getting the Astros on the board. Cam Smith would then send his 17th double of the season to right to score Hummel and Whitcomb and all of a sudden the game was tied at 3-3.

Things only got worse for the Mariners from there. Christian Walked would obliterate his 13th home run of the season to begin the 6th to give the Astros a 4-3 lead. Two batters later, Taylor Trammell would hammer his second home run of the season as well to extend the lead to 5-3. Despite continuing his streak of going 6+ innings, it would end up being a rough day for Bryan Woo.

Houston blew it open from there against the Mariners. The Astros put up six more runs against the Mariner bullpen while the Mariners couldn’t wrestle momentum away from the Astros. It would turn into a laugher as Houston avoided the sweep with an 11-3 blowout over the Mariners.

Notable Performances

Astros

Mariners

• Jorge Polanco- 1-4, 2 RBI
• Julio Rodríguez- 2-5, RBI, R
• Bryan Woo (L, 8-5)- 6 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 6 SO

What’s Next

It was a successful series for the Seattle Mariners (53-46) despite not being able to complete the sweep of the Houston Astros. Seattle had the opportunity to make up ground themselves and did just that as they now trail the Astros by just four games in the American League West. Texas took two of three from Detroit while the Angels took two of three from the Phillies. The Athletics lost a series to Cleveland over the weekend. Texas is third in the division, 7 1/2 games out while the Angels are nine games back. The A’s are in last, 16 games behind Houston. Seattle maintains a Wild Card spot and are now tied with Boston for the second Wild Card and are just a game behind New York for the top Wild Card with Tampa Bay just 1 1/2 games back of Seattle.

In one of the most intriguing series of the week, the Mariners will now gear up to host the hottest team in baseball when the Milwaukee Brewers (59-40) come to town for a three-game series. Milwaukee enters the series on a ten-game winning streak and have battled their way into a tie with the Chicago Cubs atop the NL Central and the National League as a whole. Two sweeps of the Los Angeles Dodgers have been the highlights of the current streak and the pitching staff has been dominant for Milwaukee. While there are no big stars at the plate, everyone just plugs into their place and does their part which has put the MLB spotlight on the Brew Crew.

Take your pick on which pitcher to spotlight but we have to talk about the rookie phenom, Jacob Misiorowski. After making his debut on June 12th, Misiorowski has been the talk of the sport with his incredible velocity and his tremendous command. While he would have a tough outing against the Mets, Misiorowski is 4-1 with an ERA of just 2.81 in his first four career starts, which earned him a controversial All-Star nod. Reminiscent of Paul Skenes rise to fame, Misiorowski’s 33 strikeouts and just eight runs allowed will make him a very tough out for the next couple of decades.

• Game 1, Monday 6:40pm- Brandon Woodruff (1-0, 2.61 ERA) vs. George Kirby (4-4, 4.50 ERA)
• Game 2, Tuesday 6:40pm- Jacob Misiorowski (4-1, 2.81 ERA) vs. Logan Gilbert (2-3, 3.39 ERA)
• Game 3, Wednesday 12:40pm- Quinn Priester (8-2, 3.33 ERA) vs. Luis Castillo (7-5, 3.21 ERA)

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