The Mariners Are Batting .184 and Houston Has Lost Four Straight: Something Has to Give Friday

The Seattle Mariners are in serious trouble offensively. They're back home after a brutal California and Texas road trip with the worst batting average in all of Major League Baseball at .184. They're also last in on-base percentage (.280) and slugging percentage (.301). Oh, and they're sitting in the American League West basement with a 4-9 record and a five-game losing streak. This was supposed to be the year.

Even worse? The pitching staff has been outstanding. Seattle's rotation has a 2.62 ERA, the third-best mark in baseball. That's elite stuff getting absolutely wasted by bats that can't string together anything resembling an offensive threat. In their last 13 runs scored on this trip, seven came in an extra-inning loss to the Angels. They got shut out twice. When you're scoring two runs or fewer in four of your games, you're not winning anything.

Manager Dan Wilson wasn't mincing words after a 3-0 loss to Texas on Wednesday. "Just not much going on offensively," he said. "We were able to get a little bit of traffic, but we were not able to move it along. Not enough consistency on the offensive side." Third baseman Brendan Donovan, the team's hottest hitter at .316, tried to spin the narrative. "You're going to go through lulls like this," Donovan said. "Personally, I'd rather us go through it now, see what we're made of, establish our identity, and then go from there." Fair point, but at 4-9, there's no time to establish anything.

The Astros Are Even More Broken

Here's the thing: Houston is coming into T-Mobile Park as a mess. The Astros have lost four straight after getting swept at Colorado and have allowed 35 runs in that span. Their team ERA of 6.05 ranks 29th in baseball, just ahead of Washington. They're falling apart.

Ace Hunter Brown landed on the injured list Tuesday with a right-shoulder strain. Fellow starter Cristian Javier left Wednesday's 9-1 loss to the Rockies with shoulder tightness. Center fielder Jake Meyers also came out of that game midway through an at-bat with lower back tightness. Astros manager Joe Espada sounded frustrated. "It's not what I want to see, man. The injuries have piled on, and it's not a good feeling."

Friday's Pitching Matchup Could Set the Tone

The series opener Friday features Emerson Hancock (1-1, 0.71 ERA) for Seattle against Tatsuya Imai (1-0, 4.32 ERA) for Houston. Hancock is the real deal. He took a 1-0 loss to the Angels on Saturday when his only mistake was a leadoff homer in the first inning. He went 6 2/3 innings, allowing six hits, zero walks, and striking out five. He's 1-0 with a 3.38 ERA in two career starts against the Astros. Imai, signed as a free agent from Japan, is facing Seattle for the first time. He threw 5 2/3 scoreless innings in Houston's 11-0 win against Oakland, allowing three hits and striking out nine.

This is a four-game series where two teams are desperate to find footing. The Mariners need their bats to wake up. The Astros need their injuries to stop piling up. Friday night at T-Mobile Park, somebody's luck has to change.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.