Our Mariners Tagged This Astros Pitcher, And He's STILL Not Ready For the Big Leagues

Alright, Seattle On Tap fam, let's talk about the Houston Astros for a minute. Yeah, yeah, I know, *them*. But listen up, because our boys in blue and green just delivered a major gut punch to one of their pitchers last week, and it tells you everything you need to know about Houston's messy early season. The Astros are trying to grab a series win against the Twins today, but with the way they're collapsing, who knows if they can pull it off.

Houston's Injury Nightmare Is Getting Worse

Can you believe it? The Astros are absolutely limping into this decisive game. They've had more than a dozen players hit the injured list this season, including huge names like Jose Altuve and Carlos Correa. That's a brutal hit for any team, even our most hated rivals. Just before Tuesday's narrow 2-1 win against the Twins, Houston had dropped seven of their last ten games. It's clear they're struggling to find any consistent rhythm out there. And the hits just keep coming. Right-hander Lance McCullers Jr. was scratched from his scheduled start on Tuesday due to right shoulder inflammation and got placed on the 15-day IL. Astros manager Joe Espada admitted McCullers had "been pitching through it," saying he wasn't able to shake off the normal post-start soreness this week. Oof. Talk about tough news. Center fielder Jake Meyers just returned from a six-week oblique strain, going 1-for-3 on Tuesday. He feels "ready to go," but the whole team looks like it's patching itself together with duct tape and hope.

Our Mariners Blew Up Their Starter Last Week, And He's a Mess

Meanwhile, the Minnesota Twins aren't totally healthy either, losing catcher Ryan Jeffers to a broken left hamate bone. They had to call up Alex Jackson from Triple-A Saint Paul, a journeyman catcher who's played 160 big-league games for multiple teams. Reliever Anthony Banda, a left-hander, did toss a scoreless inning on Tuesday, improving to just one run allowed in his last 6 1/3 innings. Twins manager Derek Shelton noted Banda's "velo" and spin consistency are finally there after some early struggles. So, at least they have that going for them. But here's where it gets really good for us, and absolutely disastrous for the Astros. Today's game features Joe Ryan for the Twins, who's put together back-to-back quality starts against the Guardians and Brewers, allowing just two runs over 12 innings. Good for him. Who cares about him, though? Because for Houston, it's right-hander Mike Burrows on the mound, and this guy is a walking disaster right now. Remember him? OUR MARINERS absolutely lit him up last Thursday, tagging him for a whopping SEVEN runs on EIGHT hits in just 5 2/3 innings! That was here at T-Mobile Park, folks! Burrows, who has a 2-5 record and a 5.72 ERA, also got shelled last July while with the Pirates, giving up six runs on five hits in 1 1/3 innings against these very same Twins. The dude is struggling big time, and our Mariners proved it to the world. You gotta love that! So while the Astros and Twins battle it out today, with Burrows trying not to get shelled again, we're looking ahead. Yeah, our Mariners had a tough 2-1 loss to the White Sox, a real nail-biter that stings. But seeing our boys put up numbers like that against an opposing starter, especially from a team like Houston, shows what they're capable of. We keep fighting, T-Mobile Park faithful, and keep showing these other teams what Emerald City baseball is all about!

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