Astros at Mariners
Two former American League Cy Young Award winners square off when the Houston Astros visit the Seattle Mariners on Saturday for the middle contest of their three-game series. Houston's Justin Verlander - who won the award while with Detroit in 2011 - will look to outduel 2010 recipient Felix Hernandez of the Mariners.
Jose Altuve (five homers in four games) and Yuli Gurriel each launched a grand slam and Houston racked up 16 hits in a 10-6 victory over the Mariners in Friday's opener. George Springer added a two-run blast and was one of seven Astros with at least two hits as the club posted its seventh straight victory. Seattle had its six-game winning streak snapped, but Tom Murphy belted a leadoff homer in the bottom of the ninth to extend the squad's major-league record of consecutive games with a homer to start a season to 16. The Mariners have launched 37 blasts, two shy of the record held by the 2000 St. Louis Cardinals for most homers through 16 contests.
TV: 9:10 p.m. ET, AT&T SportsNet-Southwest (Houston), ROOT Northwest (Seattle)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Astros RH Justin Verlander (1-0, 4.24 ERA) vs. Mariners RH Felix Hernandez (1-0, 4.26)
Verlander defeated Tampa Bay in his season-opening start but followed with back-to-back no-decisions. The 36-year-old gave up three runs and seven hits over six innings against the New York Yankees in his last turn on Monday. Verlander is 12-9 with a 3.30 ERA in 25 career starts versus the Mariners and has enjoyed success against Edwin Encarnacion (4-for-35, two homers).
Hernandez gave up two runs and three hits in one inning against Kansas City on Monday before leaving with an illness. The 33-year-old picked up the win against the Los Angeles Angels in his first start after giving up three runs - one earned - and seven hits over 5 1/3 frames. Hernandez is 4-6 with a 4.42 ERA in 13 career starts against Houston and has experienced major difficulties with Altuve (14-for-29, one homer, four doubles).
WALK-OFFS
1. Mariners OF-1B Jay Bruce (Achilles) returned after a one-game absence and went 0-for-3 with a walk.
2. Houston 3B Alex Bregman (hamstring) missed his second straight game but hopes to return before the series concludes.
3. Seattle LHP Wade LeBlanc (oblique) departed the series opener in the fifth inning and will undergo an MRI exam on Saturday.