The Astros swept the Mariners, which is the first time this has happened at home since Aug. 26-28, 2020. Houston is 26-4 against the Mariners at home since 2019.

First Base: Still Tippin on 44’s

This season, there was a stretch where designated hitter Yordan Alvarez hit safely in one game out of the eight he played in. Since then, he has only one game out of the last 11 that he did not get a hit. Alvarez hit .333 with two home runs and three RBI during this series. What makes his two HR’s so impressive is that he did it in the top of the fourth inning in back-to-back games. I find that very ironic since his jersey number is 44.

Second Base: Armed and Ready

Let me preface my statement by saying that I did not copy and paste this from my previous ‘Around the Bases’ article when the Astros played the Texas Rangers in a four-game series in Arlington. It just so happens that pitchers Jake Odorizzi and Cristian Javier had the same outcomes against the Mariners.

Both pitchers held the Mariners scoreless in back-to-back outings, allowing six hits while striking out seven batters. Javier and Odorizzi have become an excellent one-two tandem for the Astros since Dusty Baker decided to go to a six-man rotation.

Add in the dominant performance Justin Verlander had in the final game of the series (6.2 innings, two runs, and five hits), and you have a very effective back end of the pitching rotation.

Third Base: Peña Power II

The rookie shortstop is earning respect from the veterans on the team. They already knew that he was very good at the shortstop position, and he is now showing that his bat can help the Astros make another run toward the World Series. Peña helped his team put the Mariners away by doing the same thing his teammate Yordan Alvarez did by putting two runs on the board in the sixth inning in back-to-back games.

The 24-year-old leads all Major League rookies in home runs (5) and leads all AL rookies in slugging percentage (.470).

Home Plate: Mr. 2,000

Manager Dusty Baker joined an elite club on Tuesday by becoming the 12th manager in Major League history to win 2,000 games in his career. He also is the first African American to reach that accomplishment.

Baker’s first managerial win came on April 6, 1993, when he was the manager of the San Francisco Giants and he reached win 1,000 on August 30, 2004, as the skipper of the Chicago Cubs.

The 2022 season is Baker’s 25th as a manager. He is just the ninth manager in MLB history to guide teams in both leagues to the World Series (San Francisco in 2002, Houston in 2021). The 2022 season marks the 25th year for Dusty Baker

Houston will play a four-game home series against the Detroit Tigers and former Astros manager A.J. Hinch. The first pitch is at 7:10 pm CST.