Mariners at Astros 8/10/18 - MLB Picks & Predictions

The Seattle Mariners play the second game of a four-game series on the road Friday against American League West rivals the Houston Astros. The Mariners lost on Wednesday 11-7 to the Texas Rangers. Seattle has now allowed 11 runs in two straight losses. With the loss, the Mariners fell eight games behind the first place Astros and three games behind the second place Oakland A’s.

Houston won for the second straight game and sixth in the last seven on Tuesday with a 2-1 victory over the San Francisco Giants. The Astros returned home on Wednesday to host the Mariners Thursday. Tyler White’s eighth inning two-run home run was the difference in Houston’s win over the Giants on Tuesday. Jean Segura leads Seattle with a .305 batting average and a team high 134 hits. Nelson Cruz is the Seattle leader in home runs with 30 and RBIs with 72. Seattle has a team batting average of .255, while opposing hitters are averaging .254 at the plate against Mariners pitching. On Friday, the Mariners will send Mike Leake to the mound. The right-hander this season is 8-7 with an ERA of 4.16, 86 Ks and 29 BBs.

Yuli Gurriel leads Houston with a .286 batting average. Alex Bregman leads Houston in home runs with 22 and in RBIs with 71. Houston has a team batting average of .256 while opposing hitters are averaging .211 at the plate against Astros pitching. On Friday, the Astros will send Gerrit Cole to the mound. The right-hander this season is 10-4 with an ERA of 2.64, 202 Ks and 49 BBs.