As the Astros head into their series vs the Mariners in Seattle, their playoff hopes are on life support. After getting swept by the Kansas City Royals in Houston over the weekend, the Astros sit 2.5 games back of the AL-West leading Rangers, while the Mariners sit 0.5 game back of the Astros.
With Houston trying to lock in a playoff spot, they need to treat their series with Seattle like it is a playoff series. The Astros will send Justin Verlander, Cristian Javier and Framber Valdez to the mound in this series. T-Mobile Park will be loud and rowdy - those fans would love nothing more than to beat Houston and knock the Astros out of the playoff hunt.
The Astros need to dig deep and find themselves in Seattle - have their stud pitchers pitch like studs, have their star hitters hit like stars, and play elite Astros defense. If they can take 2 out of 3 in Seattle, their playoff chances will look pretty good. If they drop this series, any hope of a playoff run could come crashing down. Will this team respond?
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