The Astros seem to have the American League West on lock. They come into today with an 11-game lead. The Astros could also end July with a third straight month of losing less than ten games.
The Mariners will probably not win the division, but a playoff spot looks within reach. They completely changed the outlook of their season in July as they’re currently 17-5. They have an AL-best 2.81 ERA and currently hold the second Wild Card spot. That will undoubtedly be a tight race until the end, so every game counts. As we’re days away from the trade deadline, they might have been a seller at one point, but now they should be looking to add to their roster.
Verlander’s Success vs. Seattle
A big reason for the Astros success is their pitching staff, specifically the rotation. Their starters have the best ERA in the American League (3.23) and the second-best WHIP (1.10) this season. This is one of the few rotations in the league where you can trust each starter to go out and give you a chance to win.
Justin Verlander continues to be incredible every time he’s on the mound. Coming into today, eight of nine outings were quality starts, and the Astros won all eight of those games. Two of those are against the Mariners. In his five starts this season against Seattle, he’s 4-1, allowing just ten earned runs in 35.2 innings.
Justin Verlander, Knee-buckling 80mph Curveball. 🦵 pic.twitter.com/ETViNTBpG1
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) July 23, 2022
While he’ll definitely be in the Cy Young conversation, he should be on his way to earning Comeback Player of the Year after missing all of 2021 with Tommy John surgery. The key to his success this year is the four-seamer as the -12 run value is the second-best in the league. The .335 slugging is also his best since 2017.
Ray’s Struggles vs. Houston
On the other side, Robbie Ray has turned around his season after struggling early on. The 2021 Cy Young award winner signed a big contract with the Mariners and has not lived up to expectations. On top of that, the Mariners had a disappointing first half of the season. On the bright side, as Ray began to improve, so did the team.
In his first 12 starts, he was 5-6 with a 4.97 ERA. Then in his last nine starts, he had a 2.65 ERA with Seattle going 7-2. Seven of those outings were quality starts, but unfortunately, the only two losses were against Houston. In his last matchup against the Astros, he went a season-low 3.2 innings with one strikeout and tied a season-high allowing six earned and ten hits.
Astros BP off Robbie Ray pt. 2 pic.twitter.com/bx3BPDSKEb
— Will Doctor (@DrMedia59) July 24, 2022
Ray has also struggled pitching in Houston with a 5.31 ERA and 1.64 WHIP in four starts at Minute Made Park.
Mariners Vs Astros Prediction
Looking at the pitching matchup is hard not to side with Verlander with how well he’s pitched against the Mariners this season. The overall perspective is he’s one of the best starters in the league. Ray has been so much better recently, but he has not been able to win against the Astros.
The Pick: Astros -1.5 runline | +122 at FanDuel Sportsbook