Mariners Game #49: 5/22/25, SEA at HOU

Guess who’s back, back again, Kirby’s back, tell a friend

Late May is still pretty early to declare this one of the most important series of the year, but this AL West matchup against the Astros could have significant repercussions for the season. Thanks to the Mariners’ 5-1 road trip so far, they’ve washed away most of the stink of the 1-5 homestand, but the perpetual test of the Astros stands between them and creating some space in a crowded AL West.

Luckily, the Mariners will get back one of their strongest soldiers as George Kirby returns to make his season debut tonight. The Astros’ pitching health, meanwhile, is going in the other direction; they’ve lost talented young righty Hayden Wisneski, who throttled the Mariners for seven innings when the Astros came to T-Mobile Park in April, for the season; fellow starter Ronel Blanco recently landed on the IL with elbow pain of his own.

Lineups:

Lance McCullers Jr. will get the start for the Astros. He’s made three starts so far since coming back from a long, long injury rehab, and hasn’t gone deeper than four innings in any start yet, so it would behoove the Mariners to try to drive up his pitch count early and get to Houston’s bullpen to start the series.

However, that’s going to be a little harder now as word came down that Julio Rodríguez is a late scratch. The updated lineup has Mastrobuoni in RF slotting in behind Moore but ahead of Williamson; Taveras will move to center.

News:

In order to make room for George Kirby, RHP Troy Taylor was optioned to Tacoma. Also, in case you missed it, in the endless dance of Casey Lawrence, he was DFA’d postgame yesterday to make room for a fresh arm in RHP Jesse Hahn.

The Astros placed starter Ronel Blanco on the IL with elbow inflammation; LHP Colton Gordon has been recalled from Triple-A to take his place and will likely make the start in Sunday’s series finale.

No word yet on why Julio was scratched; the Mariners say they’ll provide an update after the game.

Dan Wilson also said that Bryce Miller and Logan Gilbert will get a chance to get some throwing in tomorrow in a simulated game environment. “Our guys are getting closer and closer to being healthy.”

Captain’s Log:

Wilson on expectations for Kirby tonight:

“The hope is 75-80 pitches, somewhere in that range. That can be a fluid thing, we’ll see how it goes. George is typically pretty efficient, and we’ll see where that takes us.”

Game Information:

Game time: 5:10 PT

TV: ROOT Sports NW, with Aaron Goldsmith, Ryan Rowland-Smith, and Jay Buhner

Radio: 710 AM Seattle Sports, with Rick Rizzs and Gary Hill Jr.

This series will finish up the Mariners’ 10-day road trip, as they’ll get a rare Memorial Day off before starting a long homestand. Highlights of the homestand include:

• Randy Arozarena bobblehead giveaway (all three games of the series against the Nationals, May 27-29th) - no special ticket required
• Looney Tunes Night (May 28th) - ticket includes a 90s-style Mariners Looney Tunes shirt
• Craft Beer Nights (May 28th and June 3rd) - ticket includes a Mariners-emblazoned keychain bottle opener (May 28) or Mariners foam cowboy hat (June 3rd)
• Emo Night (May 29th) - ticket includes Fallout Boy-style shirt that says “Thnks fr th Mrnrs”
• Teacher Appreciation Night (May 29th) - ticket includes a navy quilted quarter zip with an embroidered apple with the Mariners logo
• Zags Day (May 31st) - ticket includes letterman-style Gonzaga jacket and $5 donation to the Gonzaga Seattle Chapter Regional Endowment
• Girl Scouts Day (June 2nd) - ticket includes Mariners-themed Girl Scouts patch and $2 donation to the Girl Scouts of Western Washington
• Bark at the Park (June 3rd)
• Pride Month (June 4th and 13th) - ticket includes a Pride-themed belt bag (4th) or Stanley-style tumbler (13th) and a $5 contribution to the GBSA scholarship fund (4th) and Seattle Pride (13th) - note that you must purchase the ticket special to get any special Mariners-themed pride items, there will be no general giveaway as there has been in years past.

Also, the Mariners announced they are adding four new beer options for the upcoming homestand from local breweries available at the Walk-Off Markets/Walk-Off Brews:

• Sky Hazy Pale Ale - Fremont Brewing
• Disco Lemonade - Aslan Brewing
• Space Needle IPA - Pike Brewing
• Silver City Pilsner - Silver City Brewing

Today in Mariners History:

• 1981 - The Mariners turn the third triple play in their history. The Rangers’ Mario Mendoza lined to SS Rick Auberach, who stepped on second to put out Johnny Grubb, then threw to 1B Bruce Bochte to put out Pat Putnam in the eighth inning.
• 2011 - Félix Hernández tied a career-high with 13 strikeouts over 8.0 innings in a 6-1 win over the Padres to complete a 3-game sweep. Hernández did not walk a batter, becoming the 4th pitcher (6th time) in club history to strike out at least 13 batters without issuing a walk.
• 2015 - Nelson Cruz hit his MLB-leading 17th home run and Félix Hernández struck out 8 over 7.0 IP as the Mariners defeated the Blue Jays, 4-3. Hernández allowed just 1 run on 4 hits to win his MLB-best 7th game of the season.
• 2018 – The Mariners recorded their already fourth extra-inning win of the season and their first extra inning contest on the road with a 3-2 win over the Athletics. A two-run homer by Mike Zunino tied the score in the 7^th inning, and Guillermo Heredia recorded the game-winning RBI in the top of the 10^th, scoring Jean Segura from 1^st base. Edwin Díaz recorded his 16^th save of the season, tossing a 1-2-3 inning to complete the Mariners victory.