Hot teams meet in Seattle
13-2 Mariners have baseball’s best record
Toward the end of his comments after Wednesday’s 8-6 win over the Yankees, Astros manager A.J. Hinch declined the opportunity to gush over the sliver of history he oversaw.
The sweep of New York was Houston’s first. Not since 2004 had the Astros finished a homestand of two or more series unbeaten.
Vanquishing the A’s and Yankees accomplished that and calmed onlookers worried by a 2-5 start — subpar for a season simmering with expectations.
“I thought we were in a good place when we got to the homestand. We just hadn’t gotten enough wins,” Hinch said.
Seasons are not defined in April. Hinch is cognizant of this obvious truth and did not dwell on his team’s resurgent week. The manager often speaks of a higher standard to which this franchise adheres, one that does not take pride in or gloat about somewhat trivial streaks or accomplishments.
“Cool. I’ll use your word: It’s ‘cool,’ ” Hinch told a reporter who referenced the sweep of the Yankees. “But on to the next series.”
About that one: It carries more intrigue than Hinch, his players or really anyone in baseball could have envi
sioned. The Astros will play against the best team in the majors — after they’ve played the Yankees.
To the shock of the sport, the opponent is the Mariners, an AL West rival that acknowledged during a transaction-filled, tankingstyle offseason that it would take a “step back” but has since authored an offensive explosion.
The Mariners own the sport’s best record and have hit a major league-high 36 home runs, tying the 2000 St. Louis Cardinals for the most long balls within a season’s first 15 games. Seattle is the first major league team to hit a home run in each of its first 15 games. It has scored at least nine runs in six games.
Seattle is 13-2. Five of its wins are against 2018 American League playoff teams — including three against defending champion Boston. Last year’s Red Sox are the only AL team since 1988 to begin a season better than 13-2. Boston started 17-2 and, of course, ended its season with a World Series title and the AL MVP in Mookie Betts.
The Mariners seemingly offer no such promise. They’ve committed a major league-worst 20 errors and have a staff ERA nearing four.
All-Star outfielder Mitch Haniger, valued last season at a teamhigh 6.1 wins above replacement, is the chief holdover from the 2018 team. He is surrounded by a sprinkling of veterans whom general manager Jerry Dipoto acquired in exchange for his star players during the offseason.
Jay Bruce, traded in exchange for Robinson Cano and Edwin Diaz, has seven home runs. Mallex Smith, who stung a triple in Thursday’s win over the Royals, was traded to Seattle by Tampa Bay for catcher Mike Zunino. Daniel Vogelbach, whose sixth home run of the season won Thursday’s game in the 10th inning, is a career backup who is starting — and starring — because Nelson Cruz departed for free agency.
Dipoto dumped Cano, Diaz, Zunino, lefthanded ace James Paxton and shortstop Jean Segura during his offseason overhaul. The general manager never termed it a teardown, just a “step back,” one that apparently has not started yet.
Just two opposing starters have completed six innings against the Mariners all season. Houston, however, possesses the stoutest pitching staff Seattle has encountered. After Wade Miley opens the series on Friday, the Astros will trot out aces Justin Verlander and Gerrit Cole to finish it.
Astros starters have combined to allow 1.06 home runs per nine innings. Batting average on balls in play against them is just .258. If the Mariners are to continue their Cinderella start, they must reverse those trends and stifle a suddenly
surging Astros lineup.
After posting an anemic .667 OPS in its first seven games, Houston slashed .335/.410/.576 in the six games inside Minute Maid Park. Jose Altuve crushed four home runs in the final three days. Michael Brantley went 10-for-25, and Carlos Correa finished 7for-26.
The lineup raised its OPS 152 points, not uncommon when such small sample sizes are involved but still a welcome sight — especially against the premier bullpen arms the Astros faced.
“Watching these guys and how good they are, it makes you not take anything for granted and go out there and fight every single atbat,” Altuve said after Wednesday’s
16-hit barrage. “Everybody behind me — (Alex) Bregman, Brantley, Correa, every single guy in this lineup — takes pride in our work. And that’s why we think we’re really good.”
The Astros scored thrice against A’s relievers Blake Treinen and Lou Trivino on Sunday before hanging 10 runs on the Yankees bullpen through three games, a catalyst for that historic threegame sweep Hinch wants to know nothing about
“Historic, eh. I don’t really care,” Hinch said. “I think historic will be at the end of the season if we can pull off what we want.”