Houston's Bats Are Disappearing Right When Seattle Comes to Town

The Houston Astros are limping into their home series against the Seattle Mariners, and their offense is completely MIA. After rattling off at least 10 hits in seven straight road games through the Cincinnati series opener, Houston dropped three consecutive games including a brutal 5-0 shutout loss on Sunday where they managed exactly three singles. Now they've got to figure it out fast, because the Mariners are coming to town Monday night.

This is supposed to be Houston's strength. The Astros lead the entire American League in batting average at .258, total bases with 598, and they're tied with the Yankees at .333 on-base percentage. But the last few days? That's not the same team that dominated early in the season. Manager Joe Espada knows it too.

Espada Wants the Real Astros Back

"We've got to get back to doing what we do best," Espada said after the ugly loss. "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."

He's not panicking though. "It's a quick fix," Espada added. "I've seen our offense do a good job fixing those things and getting locked in again."

Right-hander Peter Lambert (2-2, 2.42 ERA) gets the ball Monday night for Houston. Lambert threw up the best outing of his career on May 5 against the Dodgers, delivering seven scoreless innings on just three hits and four walks with four strikeouts in a 2-1 win. He's alternated wins and losses through four starts this season. As for the Mariners, he faced them once before while with Colorado back in April 2024, getting shelled for six runs on six hits over three innings in a 10-2 loss.

Kirby's Elite Track Record Against Houston

George Kirby gets the nod for Seattle. The right-hander is 4-2 with a 2.94 ERA and has been locked in lately. He didn't factor into the decision in a 3-2 loss to Atlanta on May 5, but he's been virtually untouchable over his last five starts, allowing two earned runs or fewer in all of them. He's 3-0 with a 2.53 ERA during that stretch.

Here's the thing that matters most: Kirby absolutely owns Houston. He's 4-1 with a 2.17 ERA against the Astros in his career over 10 starts. He beat them at home on April 13, a 6-2 Mariners victory where he surrendered just two runs on seven hits over 7 2/3 innings with six strikeouts.

The Mariners dropped their rubber match with Chicago 2-1 on Sunday, falling to 3-3 in those situations this season. But Logan Gilbert was phenomenal, serving up one hit and nine strikeouts over six scoreless innings.

Seattle's also getting Bryce Miller back from the injured list for Wednesday, ending a stretch that started when he went down with a left oblique strain on March 22. This four-game series just got a whole lot more interesting.

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