Seattle Mariners (83-70) at Houston Astros (67-87), 7:10 p.m. (ET)
(SportsNetwork.com) - The Seattle Mariners flexed their muscles in keeping pace in the wild card race on Friday night. They'll try to put even more pressure on the teams ahead of them on Saturday in the second of three straight meetings with the Houston Astros.
The Mariners got four homers in last night's 10-5 victory, their third in four games that has them a half-game behind Kansas City for the second of two wild card spots in the American League.
Dustin Ackley homered twice in the series-opening win, while Mike Zunino and Kyle Seager both hit three-run homers during a seven-run fourth inning.
That was enough for Taijuan Walker, who allowed two runs over 5 2/3 frames to get the win.
"I wanted to make sure I went out there and threw strikes, especially with my fastball," Walker said.
Jonathan Villar and Dexter Fowler each knocked in two runs for the Astros, who have lost four in a row as Brad Peacock yielded seven runs -- two earned -- over 3 1/3 innings.
"Brad wasn't as sharp as he's been the last couple of times out," Astros interim manager Tom Lawless said.
Jose Altuve went 3-for-3 to extend his major league lead and Astros franchise record to 216 hits this season. He tied Magglio Ordonez (2007) for the most hits in a season by a Venezuelan-born player and also set a franchise record with his 24th three-hit game of the season. Craig Biggio had 23 in 1998.
Altuve will try to keep in form tonight against Seattle's Chris Young, who is 0-2 over his past four starts but has allowed only four runs -- two earned -- in his past two outings.
The righty is coming off a 4-0 loss to Oakland on Sunday, giving up a pair of solo homers among four hits over six-plus innings of work. Young fell to 12-8 this year with a 3.33 earned run average.
The 35-year-old vet has never lost to Houston, going 4-0 with a 3.13 ERA in five meetings.
Houston counters with left-hander Dallas Keuchel, who won for the first time in eight starts with a 6-1 decision over the Los Angeles Angels on Sunday. It was his first win since July 30 as he scattered a run, three hits and a walk over seven-plus impressive innings.
"Dallas shut them down and kept them off-balanced," said Lawless said of Keuchel, who retired the first 15 batters he faced and didn't allow his first hit until there was one out in the seventh inning.
Though Keuchel has struggled to pick up wins as of late, the Astros have won five of his past six starts and he is now 11-9 on the year with a 3.00 ERA.
In six lifetime encounters with the Mariners, including five starts, Keuchel is 2-3 with a 2.50 ERA.
Seattle has won 10 of its 17 matchups with the Astros this season.