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This game featured the Seattle Mariners against the Houston Astros, marking the 11th matchup between these two teams in the regular season, held at Minute Maid Park, the home field of the Astros. The starting pitchers were Bryce Miller for the Mariners and Hunter Brown for the Astros.

The analysis of this game will be written in two parts:

Part 1/2

• Pre-game forecast
• Key highlights
• Performance of Astros starting pitcher Hunter Brown
• Performance of Mariners starting pitcher Bryce Miller
• Bullpen performance of both teams

Part 2/2

• Hitting performance of both teams
• Defensive performance of both teams
• Tactical details of both teams
• Key points to focus on for the rest of the season
• Conclusion

⚾️ Pre-game Forecast ⚾️

Currently, only about one week remains in the MLB regular season. The Houston Astros have a record of 85 wins and 71 losses, with a win percentage of .545, leading the second-place Seattle Mariners by 5 games. If the Astros can defeat the Mariners in this game, they will secure the AL West title.

On the other hand, the Seattle Mariners are in the race for a wild-card spot, trailing the second and third place teams in the division, the Detroit Tigers and Kansas City Royals, by 2 games. They are also 1 game behind the Minnesota Twins for the fourth wild-card spot. Therefore, if the Mariners perform well in this series, even if they cannot win the division title, they still have a chance to fight for a wild-card berth.

In their 10 previous matchups this season, the Seattle Mariners hold a 6-4 advantage. However, the Astros won the last series (held at the Mariners’ home, T-Mobile Park) with a record of 3 wins and 1 loss. Both teams have been performing well recently, with the Astros going 7-3 in their last 10 games and the Mariners going 6-4.

Astros’ pitching, hitting, and defense stats

This season, the Houston Astros have shown impressive offensive performance, with a team batting average of .263, ranking 3rd in the league; an on-base percentage of .323, ranking 7th; and a team slugging percentage of .420, ranking 8th. Many advanced offensive stats are also in the top 10, demonstrating their strong firepower.

In terms of pitching, the Astros have a team ERA of 3.76, which ranks 7th in the league. The starting pitchers’ ERA is 3.87, ranking 10th, while the bullpen’s ERA is 3.60, ranking 5th. Based on ERA, the bullpen has performed better than the starting pitchers.

On defense, the Astros have committed 78 errors this season, tying for 9th in the league with the Kansas City Royals and Seattle Mariners. While they are mostly mid-range in other advanced defensive metrics, their overall defensive performance, though not as strong as their hitting and pitching, is still stable.

Mariners’ pitching, hitting, and defense stats

This season, the Seattle Mariners’ team hitting performance is not their strong suit. The Mariners’ team batting average is only .223, ranking 29th (second to last) in the league; their on-base percentage is .311, ranking 14th; and their slugging percentage is .374, ranking 25th. Despite these less-than-ideal basic hitting stats, the Mariners’ overall wRC+ (weighted runs created plus) is 103, ranking 12th in the league, showing that they still have some competitiveness on offense.

In terms of pitching, the Seattle Mariners have shown fierce competitiveness. The team’s overall ERA is 3.52, ranking 1st in the league; their starting pitchers’ ERA is an impressive 3.43, far ahead of other teams (the second-place Kansas City Royals have a 3.59 ERA). Additionally, the bullpen’s team ERA is 3.70, ranking 10th, and has been quite stable. Overall, the Mariners’ pitching staff is undoubtedly the core of the team’s competitiveness.

On defense, the Seattle Mariners have committed 78 errors this season, tying with the Astros and Kansas City Royals for 9th in the league. Although their error control is decent, the Mariners’ performance in many advanced defensive metrics is generally below league average. This indicates that, although they haven’t committed many errors, their overall defensive performance still has room for improvement, and this is something they need to focus on improving as they push for the playoffs.

⚾️ Pre-game Analysis of Astros Starting Pitcher Hunter Brown ⚾️

In this game, the Astros’ starting pitcher Hunter Brown had appeared in 30 games so far this season, 29 of which were starts. He has an ERA of 3.57, with a record of 11 wins and 8 losses, having pitched 164 innings and delivered 171 strikeouts while issuing 57 walks. Overall, he has shown good strikeout ability (K% of 24.8%), but his walk rate of 8.3% indicates that his control is not completely stable and still has room for improvement.

As a right-handed pitcher, Hunter Brown has been more effective against left-handed hitters than right-handed hitters. This season, his batting average against left-handers is just .213, with an OPS of .636, while against right-handers, his batting average is as high as .280, with an OPS of .721.

Compared to last year (2023), Hunter Brown’s performance this season has been more mature and stable. His ERA has dropped from 5.09 to 3.57, and his FIP (Fielding Independent Pitching) has also improved from 4.37 to 3.64. These improvements are likely due to his better control over hitters, as his overall batting average against has decreased from .261 to .244. According to Fangraphs, the percentage of hard-hit balls (batted balls with an exit velocity of at least 95 mph) against him has dropped from 44.0% to 30.3%. Additionally, he has effectively reduced the number of home runs he allows, with his HR/9 (home runs per 9 innings) dropping from 1.50 to 0.99, which is one of the key factors in his improved stats.

Overall, Hunter Brown is primarily a groundball pitcher, with a groundball rate exceeding 50.0% over the past two seasons (2022-2023). This year, his groundball rate has slightly decreased to 48.2%, though it’s still higher than the league average (42.2%).

Hunter Brown is a pitcher with a diverse pitch selection. This season, he has used six different pitches: four-seam fastball (34.8%), sinker (17.8%), cutter (16.9%), changeup (12.8%), knuckle curve (12.5%), and slider (5.8%). Among his pitch repertoire, 69.5% of the pitches he throws are fastball types, which include the four-seam fastball, sinker, and cutter, giving him a variety of fastball variations to increase his ability to control hitters.

This season, Hunter Brown’s four-seam fastball has averaged 95.9 mph, a slight increase from last year’s 95.7 mph. The spin rate of this pitch has also risen from 2240 rpm to 2296 rpm, indicating that his fastball not only maintains consistent speed but also has better spin. His most dangerous pitch, however, is his changeup. Over the past two years, his changeup has been his most effective weapon against hitters, with an extremely low batting average against it and the ability to generate a high percentage of swings and misses, making it difficult for hitters to handle.

However, Hunter Brown’s career performance against the Seattle Mariners has been less than ideal. In his previous 5 starts against them, he has pitched a total of 22 innings, averaging less than 5 innings per start, allowing 29 hits, 32 strikeouts, and 12 walks, with an ERA of 5.73 and a record of 1 win and 2 losses. This season, though, in his 3 starts against the Mariners, he has pitched 16 1/3 innings with an ERA of just 1.65, showing a much-improved performance compared to his previous outings against the Mariners.

⚾️ Pre-game Analysis of Mariners Starting Pitcher Bryce Miller ⚾️

In this game, the Mariners’ starting pitcher Bryce Miller has made a total of 30 starts this season, pitching 173 1/3 innings with a record of 11 wins and 8 losses and an ERA of 3.06, showing excellent performance. He has also recorded 166 strikeouts and issued 43 walks, with a K/BB ratio of 3.86, showcasing his outstanding control, making him one of the Mariners’ most stable pitchers.

Bryce Miller, a right-handed pitcher, has shown excellent control against right-handed hitters, holding them to a batting average of just .194 and an OPS of only .518. However, when facing left-handed hitters, although his batting average against them is still low (.214), their overall OPS rises to .680, and their isolated power (ISO) against him is .187, much higher than the .092 he allows to right-handers. This indicates that he still has room to improve in limiting left-handed hitters’ power.

Bryce Miller has significantly improved his performance this season compared to last year, lowering his ERA from 4.32 to 3.

06, with his FIP also slightly improving from 3.98 to 3.62. This progress is related to the significant decrease in his batting average against, from .246 to .204. Although his walk rate has increased (BB% from 4.8% to 6.3%), his overall ability to control hitters has improved, allowing his pitching stats to show notable improvement. These improvements reflect his growth in pitching stability and control.

Bryce Miller is a flyball-oriented pitcher. This season, his groundball/flyball ratio is 0.87, which, although an improvement over last year’s 0.76, still remains on the lower end. Overall, Bryce Miller’s groundball rate this season is just 38.1%, slightly below the league average of 42.2%. This shows that he tends to induce more flyballs than groundballs.

Bryce Miller’s pitch selection is quite varied this season, using seven different pitches. His four-seam fastball is his most-used pitch, at 42.2%. The other main pitches that accompany his fastball include his sinker (17.2%) and splitter (16.8%). In addition, he uses a cutter (8.6%), slider (8.3%), knuckle curve (4.2%), and cutter (2.2%). This diverse pitch repertoire allows him to be more flexible when facing different hitters.

This season, Bryce Miller’s various pitches have shown few weaknesses. His most dominant pitches include his four-seam fastball, which has held hitters to a batting average of just .192, and his splitter, which has an even lower batting average against, at .154, with an impressive 28.5% whiff rate. His fastball velocity this season averages 95.1 mph, but its spin rate stands out even more, averaging 2483 rpm. Over the past two years, he has relied on the high spin rate of his pitches to gain an advantage over hitters, showcasing consistent competitiveness.

In terms of Bryce Miller’s career performance against the Houston Astros, he has started five games, pitching 28 1/3 innings with an ERA of 3.18, and earning a record of 3 wins and 1 loss. In four of those games, he pitched at least 6 innings. However, this season, his performance against the Astros has not been as strong as in previous years, with two starts totaling 12 innings and an ERA of 4.50, including a game in which he allowed 2 home runs. This shows that his effectiveness against the Astros has declined this season compared to last year.

⚾️ Game Highlights ⚾️

Here are the highlights from this game:
Video Source / MLB Official YouTube

This game was the 11th meeting of the season between these two teams, and the Astros’ magic number for clinching the division title was down to 2 before the game. A win in this game would secure the AL West title and a playoff spot for the Astros.

Although the Mariners trailed the Astros by 5 games in the division before the game, they still had a chance in the wild-card race. A strong performance in this series could help them secure a wild-card spot, even if they cannot claim the division title.

(Bottom of the 2nd / SEA 0:0 HOU)

In the bottom of the second inning, after one out, Astros’ fifth hitter Jon Singleton worked an 8-pitch at-bat and drew a walk. The next batter, Victor Caratini, hit a fly ball to left field and was out, making it two outs.

Although the next hitter, Jeremy Peña, hit an infield single, giving the Astros runners on first and second in scoring position, they couldn’t capitalize. Jason Heyward hit a fly ball to left field, which was caught, ending the inning with three outs.

(Top of the 3rd / SEA 1:0 HOU)

In the top of the third inning, the Mariners’ leadoff hitter, J.P. Crawford, struck out swinging. However, Josh Rojas and Victor Robles both drew walks, putting runners on first and second and creating a scoring opportunity for the Mariners.

With runners on first and second and one out, the next batter, Julio Rodriguez, hit a ground ball to shortstop, forcing out Josh Rojas at third base, leaving two outs. The runners switched places: Victor Robles was now on second base, and Julio Rodriguez was on first.

Catcher Cal Raleigh then hit a line drive to right field for a single, giving the Mariners a 1-0 lead. Hunter Brown quickly regained his composure, inducing a ground ball from the next batter, Randy Arozarena, for a 5-3 out, ending the top half of the inning.

(Bottom of the 3rd – Bottom of the 5th / SEA 1:0 HOU)

In the next five half-innings, both starting pitchers (Mariners’ Bryce Miller and Astros’ Hunter Brown) performed excellently, retiring the side in order and not allowing any baserunners. This meant that both teams’ offenses went quiet, with no scoring opportunities arising for a while.

(Top of the 6th / SEA 1:0 HOU)

In the top of the sixth inning, the Mariners’ leadoff hitter Julio Rodriguez hit an infield single. Although the next batter, Cal Raleigh, struck out, Julio Rodriguez stole second base, putting the Mariners in scoring position.

However, Astros’ starting pitcher Hunter Brown settled down, striking out Randy Arozarena and Luke Raley back-to-back, successfully escaping the jam and leaving the Mariners with a runner stranded at second, preventing them from extending their lead.

(Top of the 7th / SEA 2:0 HOU)

In the top of the seventh inning, the Astros brought in left-handed pitcher Caleb Ferguson to face the Mariners’ 6-7-8 hitters (Justin Turner, Jorge Polanco, and J.P. Crawford). Justin Turner and J.P. Crawford each hit singles, putting runners on first and second with one out. The Mariners then brought in right-handed pinch hitter Dylan Moore to replace the left-handed Josh Rojas.

At this point, the Astros responded by bringing in right-handed pitcher Kaleb Ort to face the right-handed Dylan Moore. Ultimately, Dylan Moore drew a walk from Kaleb Ort, loading the bases for the Mariners.

With the bases loaded and one out, Kaleb Ort induced a fly ball to center field from the next batter, Victor Robles, but it did not advance any runners. However, the following hitter, Julio Rodriguez, hit a line drive to center field, giving the Mariners a 2-0 lead. The runner on first, Dylan Moore, was thrown out at third base in a close play, ending the inning with some slight disappointment for the Mariners, as they missed out on a bigger opportunity.

(Bottom of the 7th / SEA 2:0 HOU)

In the bottom of the seventh inning, the Mariners’ starting pitcher Bryce Miller remained on the mound, facing the Astros’ 3-4-5 hitters (Alex Bregman, Yainer Diaz, and Jon Singleton).

Against the first two batters, Bryce Miller walked Alex Bregman and then allowed a ground ball single to the right side from Yainer Diaz, putting runners on first and second. However, with runners on first and second, Bryce Miller regained his form, first inducing a ground ball from Jon Singleton for an out, and then striking out both Victor Caratini and Jeremy Pena, successfully escaping the jam and leaving the Astros with runners stranded on second and third without scoring.

(Top of the 8th / SEA 4:0 HOU)

In the top of the eighth inning, the Astros brought in 28-year-old rookie left-hander Bryan King to replace Kaleb Ort on the mound. The inning began with Cal Raleigh hitting a ground ball single to left field, followed by Randy Arozarena and Luke Raley, who each reached base with infield singles (Luke Raley reached on a bunt), loading the bases with no outs for the Mariners.

Facing this bases-loaded, no-out situation, Bryan King briefly settled down, inducing a sacrifice fly to center field from Justin Turner, allowing the Mariners to extend their lead to 3-0 and placing runners on first and third. Jorge Polanco then hit a line drive double to left field, further extending the Mariners’ lead to 4-0.

Although Bryan King allowed another double, he quickly recovered, inducing a pop-out to the infield from J.P. Crawford, recording the second out. The Astros then brought in Seth Martinez to replace King on the mound.

Seth Martinez only needed one pitch to induce a pop-out foul ball to the catcher from Mariners’ batter Dylan Moore, successfully ending the Mariners’ offensive threat.

(Bottom of the 8th / SEA 4:1 HOU)

In the bottom of the eighth inning, the Mariners replaced their starting pitcher Bryce Miller, who had thrown seven scoreless innings, with right-handed bullpen arm Troy Taylor.

Troy Taylor was greeted with a solo home run to right field by Jason Heyward, breaking the shutout for the Astros and bringing the score to 1-4. However, Taylor quickly regained his composure, recording three outs while only allowing a Texas Leaguer single to center from Jose Altuve, successfully neutralizing the Astros’ offensive threat.

(Top of the 9th / SEA 6:1 HOU)

In the top of the ninth inning, the Mariners’ first two hitters, Victor Robles and Julio Rodriguez, hit back-to-back doubles, extending the Mariners’ lead to 5-1, with Julio Rodriguez’s hit being a ground-rule double.

Although Seth Martinez induced a ground ball out from Cal Raleigh,

advancing the runner to third base and leaving one out with a runner on third, the next batter, Randy Arozarena, hit another ground-rule double to center field, extending the Mariners’ lead further to 6-1.

However, Seth Martinez settled down and recorded the final two outs of the inning, inducing a ground ball out from Luke Raley and a line-out to center field from Justin Turner, as the Mariners carried a 6-1 lead into the bottom half of the inning.

(Bottom of the 9th / HOU 6:1 SEA)

In the bottom of the ninth inning, the Mariners brought in right-handed reliever Eduard Bazardo to close out the game. He successfully retired the final three batters, inducing a ground ball out from Yainer Diaz, a pop-out to foul territory from Jon Singleton, and a ground ball out to second base from Victor Caratini, ending the game. The Mariners secured a 6-1 victory, keeping their hopes alive for the AL West title and closing the gap to 4.0 games behind the Astros.

⚾️ Performance of Astros Starting Pitcher Hunter Brown ⚾️

In this game, the Astros’ starting pitcher Hunter Brown was paired with catcher Yainer Diaz, and the two have worked together the most this season, with a total of 125 1/3 innings (accounting for 76.42% of Brown’s total innings pitched before the game). When these two are paired, Brown’s ERA is 3.02, and opposing hitters have an OPS of just .648, which is his best performance with any of the catchers he has worked with this season (including Yainer Diaz, Victor Caratini, and Cesar Salazar).

It is worth noting that in this game, Victor Caratini also started, but as a first baseman. This season, Caratini has caught for Hunter Brown for 34 2/3 innings, during which Brown’s ERA is relatively higher, at 5.45, and opposing hitters have an OPS of .761, slightly worse than when paired with Yainer Diaz.

Here are Hunter Brown’s pitching stats from this game:

• Innings Pitched: 6.0 IP
• Hits Allowed: 3 hits
• Runs & Earned Runs: 1 run, 1 earned run
• Pitches: 64 strikes, 39 balls
• Strikeouts: 8 K
• Walks: 3 BB
• Hit Batters: 0 HBP
• Home Runs: 0 HR
• Ground Ball Outs: 7 GO
• Fly Ball Outs: 2 AO
• Decision: Losing Pitcher

In this game, Hunter Brown pitched 6 innings, allowing only 3 hits and 1 earned run, while striking out 8 batters and issuing 3 walks. Additionally, he induced 7 ground ball outs and 2 fly ball outs. Overall, his performance was quite stable, successfully holding the Mariners’ offense in check. Although he took the loss in this game, his 9th loss of the season, his overall pitching content was excellent.

Hunter Brown’s strike percentage in this game was 62.14%, which, while not outstanding, was complemented by a very high swing-and-miss rate of 36.17%, especially his cutter, which generated a 46.2% whiff rate (6 out of 13 swings). Throughout the game, Brown effectively used his diverse pitch selection, particularly in creating vertical and horizontal movement on his pitches, making it difficult for hitters to time their swings.

Notably, Brown frequently elevated his fastball series (Fastball pitching type) to high angles in the strike zone while mixing in his knuckle curve at lower angles, forming a combination that left hitters struggling to make solid contact. Furthermore, several of his pitches, including both velocity and spin rate, were impressive, which made it challenging for the Mariners to generate hard contact and limited their offense.

Despite this, Brown’s pitch location was inconsistent, with several pitches missing either too high or too low, and a significant number of his pitches ended up well outside the strike zone. This led to him issuing 3 walks over 6 innings. While he effectively utilized his pitch arsenal to control hitters, his control stability remains an area for improvement, as it contributed to allowing some baserunners in the game.

Additionally, as a groundball-type pitcher, Hunter Brown fully displayed this characteristic in the game. His pre-game groundball-to-flyball ratio was 1.12, and in this game, he induced 7 ground ball outs and 2 fly ball outs, giving him a groundball-to-flyball ratio of 3.5. His season-long groundball-to-flyball ratio now stands at 1.15, demonstrating his advantage in inducing ground balls.

⚾️ Performance of Mariners Starting Pitcher Bryce Miller ⚾️

Here are Bryce Miller’s pitching stats from this game:

• Innings Pitched: 7.0 IP
• Hits Allowed: 2 hits
• Runs & Earned Runs: 0 runs, 0 earned runs
• Pitches: 67 strikes, 30 balls
• Strikeouts: 5 K
• Walks: 2 BB
• Hit Batters: 0 HBP
• Home Runs: 0 HR
• Ground Ball Outs: 5 GO
• Fly Ball Outs: 11 AO
• Decision: Winning Pitcher

In this game, Bryce Miller pitched a full 7 innings, throwing a total of 97 pitches, 67 of which were strikes, for a strike percentage of 69.07%. He successfully shut out the opposition without allowing any runs, earning his 12th win of the season. He also struck out 5 batters, walked 2, and induced 5 ground ball outs and 11 fly ball outs, demonstrating his stable control and dominance, helping the Mariners secure the win.

In this game, Bryce Miller displayed his full repertoire of seven pitches, and his primary pitches all showed excellent velocity. In addition to his four-seam fastball, splitter, and sinker, which had slightly higher velocities than his season averages, his knuckle curve actually slowed down by 2.3 mph compared to his season average (this season’s average was 85.2 mph, but in this game, it averaged 82.9 mph). This velocity change allowed Miller to create a better difference in speed, further increasing the unpredictability of his pitches and his dominance over hitters.

The Astros hitters adopted a very aggressive approach against Bryce Miller, swinging at 55 out of his 103 pitches (a swing rate of 53.40%). However, the overall whiff rate reached 36.36%, and the Astros only managed to hit 2 singles, showing that their contact quality was poor. Despite their aggressive approach, the Astros’ hitters were unable to turn their swings into a sustained offensive threat due to Miller’s control.

Throughout the game, Bryce Miller was able to consistently locate his pitches on the edges of the strike zone or just slightly outside, making it difficult for hitters to make solid contact. Additionally, his splitter performed particularly well in this game, with both vertical and horizontal movement that further increased the difficulty for hitters to pick up the pitch. The splitter has been one of Miller’s go-to pitches, and it showcased its dominance in this game, leaving the Astros’ hitters struggling to respond.

In this game, Bryce Miller induced 11 fly ball outs and 5 ground ball outs, fully demonstrating his flyball pitcher tendencies. Before the game, his groundball-to-flyball ratio was 0.67, and after this game, it dropped to 0.65.

However, there was also some “good fortune" involved in Miller’s performance. The opposing hitters made 8 hard-hit balls, many of which were hit into the outfield, but those balls happened to land directly in the Mariners’ fielders’ range, resulting in outs. This strong defensive support helped Miller avoid more potential runs and contributed to his successful performance in this game.

⚾️ Bullpen Performance of Both Teams ⚾️

In this game, both starting pitchers performed excellently. While Bryce Miller of the Mariners had a slightly better performance, Hunter Brown of the Astros also delivered solid pitching content. However, the difference in bullpen performance became the turning point that decided the outcome. The Mariners’ bullpen held their lead steadily, while the Astros’ bullpen failed to suppress their opponents at key moments, ultimately giving the Mariners the victory.

(Astros bullpen)

In the top of the seventh inning, the Astros brought in left-handed pitcher Caleb Ferguson to replace Hunter Brown. The Astros’ coaching staff likely made this move considering the team was only trailing by one run at the time, and the Mariners’ bottom-of-the-order included several left-handed hitters (at the time, the 6-7-8 hitters were due up, and both the eighth hitter, J.P. Crawford, and the ninth hitter, Josh Rojas, were left-handed). As a result, they opted for Caleb Ferguson, who, while not a late-inning reliever, has shown stability as a left-handed pitcher, to face the Mariners’ left-handed hitters at the bottom of the lineup, hoping to suppress the Mariners’ offense effectively.

In this game, Caleb Ferguson faced three batters and struggled, giving up two solid line drive singles, allowing the Mariners to place runners on first and second. At this point, the Mariners opted to bring in right-handed pinch hitter Dylan Moore (who is also known for his infield defense, including extensive experience playing third base). The Astros’ coaching staff responded to the pinch hitter by replacing Ferguson with right-handed pitcher Kaleb Ort (partly because the Mariners’ top hitters in the order were primarily right-handed), hoping to use the platoon advantage to defuse the Mariners’ offensive threat.

However, Kaleb Ort immediately issued a four-pitch

walk to Dylan Moore, failing to execute the important task entrusted to him by the coaching staff. Although Ort induced a fly ball from the next batter, Victor Robles, that did not advance any runners, Julio Rodriguez then hit a single that scored one run. However, the Astros made a great play, with center fielder Jake Meyers delivering an outstanding throw to third base (8-5), catching the runner, Dylan Moore, trying to advance, and limiting the Mariners to just one run.

In the top of the eighth inning, the Astros brought in 28-year-old rookie left-hander Bryan King to replace Kaleb Ort, facing the middle of the Mariners’ lineup. Before this game, King had appeared in 27 games this season, posting a 1.75 ERA, with good control over both left-handed and right-handed hitters.

However, Bryan King struggled in this appearance, giving up a ground ball single to Cal Raleigh, followed by infield singles from Randy Arozarena and Luke Raley (with Raley reaching on a bunt), loading the bases with no outs. King managed to stabilize briefly, inducing a sacrifice fly from Justin Turner, allowing one run to score while advancing runners to first and third. Jorge Polanco then hit a line drive double to left field, expanding the Mariners’ lead to 4-0, marking the fourth hit King allowed.

Although Bryan King induced a foul pop-out to third baseman J.P. Crawford, recording the second out of the inning, the Astros decided to replace him with right-handed pitcher Seth Martinez to face right-handed batter Dylan Moore, as Moore’s batting performance against right-handed pitchers has been significantly worse than against left-handers this season.

Seth Martinez came in and retired Dylan Moore on the first pitch he threw, a pop foul caught by the catcher, ending the Mariners’ offensive threat in the top of the eighth inning.

In the top of the ninth inning, Seth Martinez encountered more challenges, allowing back-to-back doubles to Victor Robles, Julio Rodriguez, and Randy Arozarena, resulting in two more runs. Despite these struggles, Martinez finished the inning without further damage.

The Astros’ coaching staff likely made this decision to leave Martinez in the game due to the team trailing by a significant margin at this point, coupled with the fact that the Astros still held a 5-game lead over the Mariners before this game, meaning the situation was not too dire. Additionally, the coaching staff likely wanted to preserve their more reliable bullpen arms for the upcoming games, particularly with important matches ahead.

Overall, the Astros’ bullpen has been a relatively strong area for them this season. Before the game, the bullpen had a team ERA of 3.60, ranking 5th out of 30 teams in the league. However, since entering September, the Astros’ bullpen performance has been inconsistent, with a collective ERA of 3.99 before this game, ranking 17th in the league. During this period, they had experienced 4 blown saves (tied for 5th most in the league), highlighting their struggles in recent outings.

These stats show that the Astros’ bullpen has faced some challenges recently, which is an area they need to focus on adjusting and improving as they compete for a postseason spot. If they can restore their bullpen’s stability, it will significantly enhance their overall competitiveness.

(Mariners bullpen)

In the bottom of the eighth inning, the Mariners brought in right-handed pitcher Troy Taylor to relieve Bryce Miller, who had pitched seven scoreless innings. Taylor, a rookie who was called up to the major leagues this year, had appeared in 18 games before this game, with a 2.76 ERA and 6 holds. Despite his short time in the major leagues (he made his debut on August 11), Taylor has quickly become an important part of the Mariners’ bullpen, showing consistent performance and effectiveness.

Although Taylor allowed a solo home run to Jason Heyward on a low cutter (even though the pitch was well-located), breaking the Astros’ scoreless streak, this run did not affect his performance in the rest of the inning.

After allowing the home run, Taylor quickly recovered, relying on his 97 mph fastball and 84 mph cutter to effectively shut down the Astros’ offense, not allowing them to mount any further attack. The Mariners maintained their 4-1 lead.

In the bottom of the ninth inning, the Mariners had already extended their lead to 6-1, making victory almost certain. At this point, the Mariners brought in Eduard Bazardo to close out the game. Before this game, Bazardo had appeared in 20 games, pitching 25 1/3 innings with a 5.33 ERA, though his ERA is inflated due to 3 outings where he allowed 3-4 earned runs in each. However, his other stats show that his overall stability is sufficient, particularly his ability to generate groundballs.

Bazardo retired the side in order, inducing two groundball outs and a pop fly, securing the Mariners’ 6-1 victory.

The Mariners’ bullpen has been consistently strong this season, with a team ERA of 3.70 before this game, ranking 10th in the league. However, in September, their bullpen ERA has further improved to 2.87, ranking 7th in the league, showing that their bullpen has performed exceptionally well during this critical period. This consistency will be a key advantage for the Mariners as they continue to compete for a playoff spot, helping them secure victories in close games.

This article (Part 1/2) ends here. The next article (Part 2/2) will focus on the following aspects:

• Hitting performance of both teams
• Defensive performance of both teams
• Tactical details of both teams
• Key points for the rest of the season
• Conclusion

Sources:

• ESPN MLB
• MLB Official App
• Fangraphs
• Baseball Savant
• StatMuse
• Baseball Reference

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