The Houston Astros and the Seattle Mariners are now tied at 1-1 in this series heading into Sunday, and if the first two games this series are any indication, Sunday night's game should be another fun one.
So far this series, the Astros have gotten a lot going on offense, but the defense has been very questionable, especially from the mound as Houston has allowed 17 runs total to the Mariners. If the Astros want to win the series and have a dominant win on Sunday, the pitching matchup is going to be critical.
For Sunday's game Houston will be starting Hunter Brown who has an overall record of 3-2 and Seattle will be starting Bryan Woo who has an overall record of 8-8.
Starting with Brown, he has had a very impressive season as he has pitched 63.2 innings and allowed 46 hits and eight home runs while walking 35 batters, striking out 67 batters, and posting an ERA of 3.68. If Brown performs well tonight, he could be the answer that the Astros have been looking for on the mound with the postseason just around the corner.
On the other side, Woo has had a solid season for the Mariners. During 2025, Woo has pitched 132.1 innings and allowed 118 hits and 13 home runs, has walked 28 batters, has struck out 132 batters, and has recorded an ERA of 4.15.
For Woo, he also has an opportunity make a statement, especially if he can significantly limit the Astros and their ability to generate consistent offense from the plate which has been on display for most of this series.
Speaking of the offense, one of the more intriguing matchups to watch will be Yordan Alavrez against Woo as Alvarez is having a historic season. For the 2025 season, Alvarez has posted a batting average of .321 (leads the MLB and the AL), 88 RBIs (No. 2 in the MLB and No. 1 in the AL), and has 36 home runs (No. 2 in the MLB and No. 1 in the AL).
With these numbers, Alvarez has put himself in a position where he can win the Triple Crown if he continues his dominance. So, when Alvarez gets up to bat against Woo, it will be very interesting to see how Woo plays it, whether he decides to walk Alvarez or try to mix it up against him.
If Alvarez can get something going on offense for Houston once again in this series, that could be bad news for Woo and the Mariners pitchers because when Alvarez gets on a role he has the ability to completely take over a game.
Heading into tonigh the battle between Brown and Woo will be fun to watch, but also the matchup between Woo and Alvarez.
If the Astros are able to win both matchups, that should give them a great chance to win this game and extend their lead in the AL West, but if they struggle from the mound again, Houston could be in danger of losing this series and could be forced to make a move for another pitcher with the recent struggles from their pitchers.