HOUSTON — Breaking down which players are hitting a hot streak, which aren’t and one key matchup in the ALDS between the Mariners and Astros, which starts Tuesday in Houston.
Who’s hot vs. who’s not
Who’s hot
Mariners
Cal Raleigh: Few are hotter than Raleigh, who carried over his drought-ending homer to hit a huge two-run blast in the first inning of the Mariners’ playoff opener in Toronto. He followed with three key hits Saturday and finished the American League wild-card series with a .500 average (4-for-8) including a homer, double and three runs batted in.
Adam Frazier: After a disappointing regular season at the plate, Frazier came up big with three hits Saturday, including the go-ahead double in the ninth that gave the Mariners the 10-9 win. If Frazier can get hot, it will be a huge boost to the bottom of their order.
Astros
Justin Verlander: Tuesday’s starter for Houston pitched five hitless innings with 10 strikeouts in his final regular-season start. In four starts since coming off the injured list from a calf injury, Verlander has a 1.17 ERA.
Yordan Alvarez: One of the most fearsome left-handed bats in the major leagues, Alvarez put up a .395/.478/.776 slash line with six homers over his final 22 games. Alvarez was bothered late in the season by a hand injury but appears past that now.
Who’s not
Mariners
Julio Rodriguez: This is a very small sample size, mind you, but J-Rod was limited to a single in seven at-bats against Toronto. He did reach base three other times with a walk and a pair of hit by pitches, but the Mariners look to Rodriguez as a prime source of power.
Paul Sewald: A vital high-leverage reliever, Sewald was torched for four runs in just 2/3 of an inning by the Blue Jays on Saturday. Sewald also had a 5.14 ERA in his last seven appearances of the regular season. The Mariners need a return of lockdown Sewald to share the late-inning burden with Andres Munoz.
Astros
Martin Maldonado: A defensive whiz, the veteran catcher hit just .186 this year with a .248 on-base percentage. He did hit 15 home runs, however, and has a knack for producing against Seattle (eight career homers).
Alex Bregman: The valuable third baseman hit just .222 with seven extra-base hits in September and October.
One key matchup
Mariners’ Andres Munoz vs. Astros’ Alvarez
Munoz has been one of the most dominant relievers in baseball in the second half of the season, and Alvarez is one of the game’s most feared sluggers. In two at-bats vs. Munoz during the regular season, Alvarez had a single and a strikeout. The Mariners will continue to count on Munoz in the most high-leverage situations, and this is one matchup we’re guaranteed to see on multiple occasions in this series.