Seattle Mariners third base Donovan Solano (39) singles to San Francisco Giants third baseman Matt Chapman (not pictured) during the eighth inning at Oracle Park on April 6. Neville E. Guard-Imagn Images

Seattle Mariners Forced into Difficult Lineup Situation For Second Straight Day Against Astros

Originally posted on Seattle Mariners on SI
By Brady Farkas | Last updated May 25, 2025 11:45 AM ET

For the second straight day, the Seattle Mariners are in a difficult lineup conundrum against the Houston Astros.

On Saturday, the M's were forced to use their less effective lineup against left-hander Framber Valdez, sitting Jorge Polanco, Rowdy Tellez and Miles Mastrobuoni in favor of Mitch Garver, Leo Rivas and Donovan Solano.

Well, the same thing has happened on Sunday, though this time the Astros are throwing Colton Gordon, who has just 9.2 career innings under his belt. The M's are playing each of the guys listed above, and they are sitting J.P. Crawford as well.

The finale in Houston. #TridentsUp pic.twitter.com/0skZ7fMzU8
— Seattle Mariners (@Mariners) May 25, 2025

What makes things even more difficult is that the Astros have a bullpen with four left-handers, so if the M's want to pinch-hit a lefty later in the game, they may not have a chance to do it, or they may end up on the wrong side of a platoon advantage in a crucial spot once all the righties are taken out of the game.

Lefty closer Josh Hader has worked two consecutive days for Houston, so the M's will hope he's unavailable, but there are still other lefty options for manager Joe Espada that can neutralize things.

On the positive side for Seattle, Solano did get two hits on Saturday, which is a nice development, considering he's struggled to the tune of a .162 batting average so far (11-for-68). He also had a walk.

First pitch of the series finale is set for 11:10 a.m. PT as Luis Castillo pitches against Gordon.

The Mariners will fly back to Seattle after the game to embark on a 10-game homestand, which begins on Tuesday night against the Washington Nationals.

This article first appeared on Seattle Mariners on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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