The Seattle Mariners and Houston Astros are matching up on Monday night and the MLB game from Texas has Taijuan Walker making his first start for the M's this season and that is much anticipated for fans and it starts up at 8:05 pm ET at Minute Maid Park as the rookie makes his season debut and this could be massive for the Mariners if they want to make the playoffs.
Walker came up last season to make his MLB debut and that was also against Houston and now he will pitch there for the third time out of four career starts and this starts up a six game roadie for the Mariners after a nice homestand. The Mariners have been playing above expectations this season and one of the main reasons is due to Felix Hernandez, who is having his best season and he now is 10-2 after putting up another 1-hitter on Sunday. The team is six games over .500 coming into this game and they have been pitching very well overall, while Robinson Cano snapped out of his slump with a homer against the Indians to support Felix.
The Mariners come into the game after winning two of three from Cleveland and they are 10-4 since June 15 and that has put the team in control of one of the wild card spots in the AL after not making the playoffs since 2001. The team hasn't finished over .500 since 2009 and the play of Hernandez, Cano, Kyle Seager and Mike Zunino has been what has carried the Mariners along with their bullpen and closer Fernando Rodney. Hernandez could end up being the AL starter in the All-Star game, while Cano is likely in at 2B and Rodney is another name that could make it after putting up 22 of 24 save chances this season.
The Astros have Jose Altuve leading the league in hits and they have more young talent than anyone else in the league, including George Springer and he has been off to a good start since coming up to the majors. Walker was set to be part of the starting rotation early in the season, but he had a setback with an injury and now he is finally ready to come in and the Mariners could use a consistent number five starter. The team has pitched well with the number 1-4 starters, but the five spot has been an issue and now he could solidify it.
Check here for the Seattle Mariners and Houston Astros live coverage from MLB for the game.