Mariners Game #99 Preview: 7/20 v. Houston

A win today would tie the Mariners longest winning streak of 2025

If it feels like the Mariners have played a lot of extra innings this year, that’s because they have. Not even two thirds of the way through the season, they have already played 29 extra innings, which is more than they played in all of 2024 (17) or 2023 (27). Crucially, they are holding serve in the outcome of those games, with a 7-8 record. Statistically speaking, teams ought to go about .500 in extra-inning games (with a measurable but not all that significant edge to a team with an elite bullpen or pinch runner). This is what did the team in back in 2023, when they went 6-14 in extras and missed the playoffs by one game.

Last night’s game was of the particularly thrilling variety, with the M’s scoring runs off both Bryan Abreu (for the third time this year) and Josh Hader (for just the second time ever). I see that Astros fans are apoplectic about the run-scoring not-hit-by-pitch in the 10th, but I’m not sure they really have a leg to stand on after J.P. Crawford got a strike three call on a pitch a foot off the plate with the bases loaded in the second. Between that, the two batters per team that were actually hit by pitches last night, and the inherently high stakes of this series, I’m expecting both teams to be bringing high emotion into today’s series finale.

Lineups

With All-Star Bryan Woo facing All-Star Hunter Brown, today’s game is, by a wide margin, the headliner pitching duel of the series. Hope you like fastballs. I’m sure it comes as a relief to both Dan Wilson and Joe Espada that they’ve got their most reliable arms out there today; each of them had to use seven relievers to cover more than 110 pitches last night.

Game Info

First pitch: 1:10 PT
TV: ROOT Sports
Radio: Old reliable

Apropos of Nothing

Shoutout to the grounds crew for the current grass design. It’s my favorite of the year so far. If you haven’t noticed, keep an eye out today.

Today in Mariners History

• 1978: Gabe Speier’s uncle, Chris (a shortstop with a 19-year MLB career), hit for the cycle and led the Expos to a 7-3 win over Atlanta.
• 2013: The Mariners beat the Astros by a score of 4-2 despite only managing to get one hit in the game. They scored two runs in the sixth on a pair of walks, a sac fly, and two passed balls, and another two in the seventh, with Michael Saunders’ two-run double scoring Mike Zunino and Justin Smoak, who had both walked.
• 2021: Cal Raleigh records his first two MLB hits.