Mariners Game #16 Preview and Discussion: HOU at SEA

TL;DR

The Seattle Mariners aim for their first series victory of 2026 against the Houston Astros tonight, with Logan Gilbert starting on the mound after a strong performance earlier this week. The game is part of a four-game series concluding tomorrow at 1:10 p.m.

SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - APRIL 11: J.P. Crawford #3 of the Seattle Mariners celebrates after hitting a walk off single during the ninth inning to beat the Houston Astros at T-Mobile Park on April 11, 2026 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Olivia Vanni/Getty Images) | Getty Images

The Mariners have a chance for their first series victory tonight.

I was going to say “sweep” but then I remembered the Mariners and Astros actually wrap up this four-game set tomorrow at 1:10 p.m. Still, this would be as good a time as any to take their first series of 2026.

They have the right personnel to do so. Logan Gilbert is on the mound, looking to build off a solid outing in Texas earlier in the week where he went six innings with five strikeouts and no walks. It was a good sign for Gilbert, who’s shown elite stuff for well over a year now but has often struggled with efficiency, unable to make it through six innings.

Brendan Donovan is back in the lineup. Donovan has been out the last few days with an illness, but he was feeling well enough to draw a crucial walk in the ninth inning last night, keeping the ball rolling just long enough for J.P. Crawford to end the game. Speaking of which, Donovan slots right back into the leadoff spot, after Crawford took over Batter 1 duties in his absence. Rather than hitting ninth, however, Crawford is hitting seventh.

The rest of the Mariners’ lineup is as expected. They will face former Mariners’ reliever Cody Bolton, who has a 3.39 FIP in two appearances this year — one as a starter, the other as a reliever. The Mariners have Astros’ pitchers on the ropes, working into the depths of their bullpen in the first two games of the series with 17 walks and 16 hits. The Astros have hung in there with 25 hits and eight walks of their own. But if the Mariners can get to the Astros bullpen early, they may be forced to punt.