Houston's Bats Gone Silent and George Kirby Is About to Make Them Pay

The Houston Astros came to T-Mobile Park riding some ugly momentum. After raking for seven straight road games, they've hit the wall hard. A four-hit effort on Saturday got worse on Sunday when they scraped together just three singles and took a 5-0 loss to Cincinnati. Now they're opening a seven-game homestand against the Mariners in a four-game series that feels way bigger than the calendar suggests.

Manager Joe Espada knows exactly what went wrong. "We've got to get back to doing what we do best," he said after the series rubber match collapse. "We've got to make opposing pitchers work. We've got to control the at-bats. We've got to pass the baton. The last few days, that was not the offense that we've been able to deploy early in the season." The Astros still lead the AL in batting average (.258), total bases (598), and on-base percentage (.333, tied with New York), but that doesn't mean much if the bats stay silent when it matters.

Peter Lambert Takes the Mound But Has Baggage Against Seattle

Right-hander Peter Lambert (2-2, 2.42 ERA) gets the ball for Houston in the series opener. He threw the best game of his career on May 5 against the Dodgers, seven scoreless innings with just three hits and four walks, striking out four while tossing 104 pitches in a 2-1 win. He's alternated wins and losses through four starts this season. But here's the problem: Lambert faced Seattle once before, and it went sideways. Playing for Colorado on April 21, 2024, he allowed six runs on six hits across three innings in a 10-2 loss.

Kirby Is a Problem the Astros Cannot Solve

George Kirby takes the ball for Seattle with a 4-2 record and a 2.94 ERA. He didn't get the decision in a 3-2 loss to Atlanta on May 5, but the numbers behind that loss are ridiculous: two runs on five hits, one walk, five strikeouts over seven innings. He's now put up two earned runs or fewer in five consecutive starts, sitting at 3-0 with a 2.53 ERA during that stretch. Against the Astros specifically, Kirby owns them. He's 4-1 with a 2.17 ERA in 10 career starts and was the winning pitcher in the Mariners' 6-2 home victory over Houston on April 13. He's also tallied 25 wins against the AL West since 2022, more than any pitcher in baseball.

Seattle just dropped the series finale against Chicago 2-1 on Sunday, falling to 3-3 in rubber matches this season. The Mariners will switch to a six-man rotation starting Wednesday to bring right-hander Bryce Miller back from the injured list after his season debut. Miller gets activated following a left oblique strain suffered back on March 22. Kirby, Miller, and Bryan Woo front the rotation, with Luis Castillo locked in for the series finale Thursday.

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