Astros chase series sweep against Mariners
Houston Astros (41-20, first in the AL West) vs. Seattle Mariners (25-38, fifth in the AL West)
Seattle; Tuesday, 10 p.m. EDT
BOTTOM LINE: Houston will sweep the series over Seattle with a win.
The Mariners are 13-18 against the rest of their division. Seattle has a collective on-base percentage of .317, good for first in the American League. Daniel Vogelbach leads the lineup with a mark of .371.
The Astros have gone 19-5 against division opponents. Houston has hit 98 combined home runs this season, most in the American League. Alex Bregman leads the club with 17, averaging one every 12.4 at-bats.
TOP PERFORMERS: Edwin Encarnacion leads the Mariners with 16 home runs and is slugging .502. Shed Long is 7-for-22 with five doubles and an RBI over the last 10 games for Seattle.
Bregman leads the Astros with 26 extra base hits and has 40 RBIs. Chirinos is 5-for-25 with a double, two home runs and four RBIs over the last 10 games for Houston.
LAST 10 GAMES: Mariners: 2-8, .228 batting average, 6.03 ERA, outscored by 31 runs
Astros: 8-2, .233 batting average, 2.90 ERA, outscored opponents by 11 runs
Mariners Injuries: Arodys Vizcaino: 60-day IL (shoulder), Sam Tuivailala: 60-day IL (achilles/shoulder), Hunter Strickland: 60-day IL (lat), Felix Hernandez: 10-day IL (shoulder), Chasen Bradford: 10-day IL (forearm), Gerson Bautista: 60-day IL (pectoral), Ryon Healy: 10-day IL (back), Dee Gordon: 10-day IL (wrist), J.P. Crawford: 10-day IL (ankle).
Astros Injuries: Joe Smith: 10-day IL (achilles), Collin McHugh: 10-day IL (elbow), Lance McCullers Jr.: 10-day IL (elbow), George Springer: 10-day IL (hamstring), Aledmys Diaz: 10-day IL (hamstring), Carlos Correa: 10-day IL (rib), Jose Altuve: 10-day IL (hamstring), Max Stassi: 10-day IL (knee).