Houston Astros Make Significant Change to Pitching Plans in Series with Seattle Mariners

July 17: The Seattle Mariners will usher in the second half of the season on Friday night when they take on the Houston Astros for the first of three games at T-Mobile Park.

And the M's will apparently get a huge break in this series, as the Astros have elected not to start All-Star (and Cy Young candidate) Hunter Brown in any of the three contests.

Per Chandler Rome of The Athletic:

Astros probables this weekend against Seattle:

Fri: Brandon Walter
Sat: Lance McCullers Jr.
Sun: Framber Valdez

Brown, 26, has turned into one of the best pitchers in baseball, striking out 137 batters over 115.0 innings. He's 9-4 with a 2.43 ERA, but the Astros apparently want to give him extra rest at the outset of the second half.

Walter, 28, has gone 1-2 but has a respectable 3.98 ERA. He's struck out 40 batters in 40.2 innings. He will present the M's a challenge in that he's left-handed, and that likely means the M's will run out a lineup with both Dylan Moore and Donovan Solano in it. Mitch Garver could play as well at the catcher or DH positions.

The series likely means more to the Mariners than it does the Astros, since Seattle enters the series at five games back of Houston in the American League West.

However, the Mariners have a 1.5-game lead on the Tampa Bay Rays for the third and final wild card spot.

First pitch on Friday night is set for 7:10 p.m. PT. The M's are 51-45.