The Houston Astros got their massive four-game series against their first place division rival Seattle Mariners off on the right foot on Thursday night. With a chance to turn things on their head this weekend,

Signed to a minor-league deal last winter, Steven Okert has a 1.90 ERA with Astros and has improved his whiff rate to 36%.

The Houston Astros have underwhelmed so far in 2025, but fans are getting frustrated with a few players in particular.

The Mariners franchise superstar was listed in the lineup Friday after missing the first of a four-game series the day before due to back tightness.

MLB player prop bets and odds for Julio Yamel Rodríguez on Friday, May 23, 2025, as the Seattle Mariners take on the Houston Astros.

Ryan Gusto gets another start for the Astros as Houston faces Seattle in a game between top two teams in AL West.

Six of their nine starters, catcher Yainer Diaz, first baseman Christian Walker, second baseman Brendan Rodgers, left fielder Jose Altuve, right fielder Cam Smith and designated hitter Yordan Alvarez all have OPS+ numbers under the league average of 100.

The Seattle Mariners (28-20) and the Houston Astros (25-24) begin a 4-game series Thursday at Daikin Park in Houston. First pitch is scheduled for 8:10 p.m. ET. Let's analyze BetMGM Sportsbook's MLB odds around the Mariners vs. Astros odds and make our expert MLB picks and predictions for the best bets.

This affiliate content is not influenced by our advertising relationships, but AP and Data Skrive might earn commissions from our partners’ links in this content.

Links up with Houston

Starter Hayden Wesneski was ruled out for the season on Sunday, and Ronel Blanco has become the latest pitcher added to the injured list due to concerning elbow inflammation. Additionally, the team is still missing Spencer Arrighetti in its starting rotation because of a broken finger, and he is likely to be out for a few more weeks.