Astros vs. Mariners Game Discussion: 8/16/2026

TONIGHT’S GAME: The first-place Houston Astros (63-61), who own a 2.0-game lead in the AL West, and the Seattle Mariners (58-66) will play the rubber game of their three-game series tonight at Daikin Park.

Astros ace RHP Hunter Brown (3-2, 3.68 ERA) will get the start for the Astros opposite RHP Bryan Woo (8-8, 4.15 ERA) and the Mariners.

DIESEL POWER: RHP Hunter Brown will make his 13th start of the season and his 10th since returning from a lengthy stint on the IL with a right shoulder strain. The 2025 All-Star has begun to round into form over his last four starts, including two quality starts, going 2-1 with a 3.04 ERA (8ER/23.2IP) with 24 strikeouts, a .188 opponent average (16×85) and a 0.97 WHIP. Brown is looking to reverse his fortunes against the Mariners, who he’s gone 1-4 with a 4.09 ERA (20ER/44IP) against in nine starts.

THE TURNAROUND: After a slow start to the season, the Astros are 43-30 since May 22, which is the second-best record in the AL in that span. On that date, the Astros were 20-31, 11 games under, which is their low water mark for the season.

TONIGHT’S BROADCASTS: Tonight’s game will be nationally televised by NBC and streamed on Peacock with Jason Benetti, Ryan Rowland-Smith, and Geoff Blum in the booth. The game will also be available nationally on ESPN radio with Sean Kelley and Doug Glanville behind the mic. Locally, the game can be heard in English on SportsTalk 790 featuring Robert Ford and Josh Reddick. The Spanish radio broadcast will feature Francisco Romero and Alex Treviño on TUDN 102.9 FM.

HALL OF FAME WEEKEND: The Astros are celebrating Hall of Fame Weekend at Daikin Park, which included the induction of Astros legends Alan Ashby and the late Phil Garner into the Astros Hall of Fame in a pregame ceremony yesterday.

HEART & HUSTLE: In a pregame ceremony tonight, OF Cam Smith will be honored as the Houston Astros 2026 Heart and Hustle Award winner. This prestigious honor, which is awarded by the Major League Baseball Players Alumni Association (MLBPAA), is presented yearly to players who exemplify a passion for the game and who best embody the values, spirit, and traditions of the game.

ASTROS ROSTER MOVES: After last night’s game, the Astros optioned RHP Ronel Blanco to Triple A Sugar Land. To take his place on the active roster, the club recalled RHP Miguel Ullola from Triple A.

THAT’S OFFENSIVE: Among American League teams, the Astros rank first in slugging (.413), first in total bases (1727), second in OPS (.732), second in home runs (166), and second in runs scored (574). In the Majors, the Astros rank third in homers, trailing only the Nationals (179) and Yankees (170).

MVP-CALIBER: Yordan Alvarez holds the lead in all AL Triple Crown categories, ranking first in average (.321), first in homers (36) and first in RBI (88). Additionally, he leads MLB in OPS (1.058), OBP (.436), SLG (.622), and TB (275). In the AL, he ranks first in hits (142) and XBH (61), tied for first in runs (82) and second walks (86).

YOR-GONE!: DH Yordan Alvarez connected for his 36th home run of the season on Friday, which gave him the outright lead in home runs in the AL. He’s now just one homer shy of matching his career high in homers (37 HR in 2022) and is 11 homers shy of matching the franchise record for a single season, set by 1B Jeff Bagwell in 2000 (47 HR).

WHAM BAM CAM: RF Cam Smith has a triple, three homers and seven RBI in his last seven games. Smith is batting .346 (18×52) with two doubles, two triples, three home runs, nine RBI and a 1.005 OPS in his last 14 games since July 29.

HADERADE: LHP Josh Hader has been stellar since returning from injury in early June, going 4-1 with a 0.93 ERA (3ER/29IP), 40 strikeouts, a .121 opponent batting average (12×99) and a 0.76 WHIP, while also converting all 17 of his save opportunities, through 30 appearances. The veteran Hader, now in his 10th Major League season, has made 498 career appearances, needing just two more to reach 500 for his career.

VS. THE M’S: This is the first series between the Astros and Mariners in three month, with the two clubs last seeing each other from May 11-14. The Astros have gone 2-8 vs. Seattle this season with just a two-game series left in the season series, which will take place in Seattle from Sept. 22-23.

DOWN ON THE FARM: RHP Bryce Mayer, the Astros No. 2 pitching prospect per MLB.com, earned his first Triple A win last night after tossing 6.0 innings of one-run ball at Round Rock (TEX). Mayer is 5-3 with a 3.12 ERA (27ER/78IP) in 19 games between the Triple A and Double A levels this season.

TODAY IN ASTROS HISTORY:2011 – PH Brian Bogusevic hits a pinch-hit, walk-off grand slam off RHP Carlos Marmol to defeat the Cubs at Daikin Park, 6-5. This marks the third pinch-hit, walk-off grand slam in franchise history and the first since Gregg Zaun did so in 2002.

Game Info

Game Date/Time:  Sunday, August 16, 6:20 p.m. CT

Location:  Daikin Park, Houston, TX

TV: NBC/Peacock

Radio: KTRH 740 AM; KBME 790 AM & 94.5 FM HD2; ESPN Radio (National); TUDN 102.9 FM HD2 (Spanish)