SHANNON DRAYER

Mariners need Nelson Cruz, Kyle Seager for Astros series

Sep 26, 2016, 9:24 AM | Updated: 1:19 pm

HOUSTON – The Mariners enter Monday two and a half games out of the American League’s second wild-card spot held by Baltimore, and it’s a crowded race as they’re still a game back of Detroit and only a half-game ahead of the same Astros team they’re set to begin a three-game series against. With seven games to go, FanGraphs has Seattle’s odds of making the playoffs at 8.6 percent.

It will be a tough task at hand in Houston against the Astros. They’ve had the Mariners’ number this year and on Monday will start Collin McHugh, who 10 days ago held Seattle scoreless over seven innings. At this point of the season, however, manager Scott Servais is not interested in history.

“We haven’t matched up great against them, but we need to play well,” Servais said. “Whatever has happened in the past, we just have to play well. We can’t do anything about it, you just need to look at the next three games. We have to win the series. We need help; we know that. But we have got to win the series.”

An item of concern heading into the game is the health of Nelson Cruz. He revealed after Sunday’s win in Minnesota that he has been dealing with a wrist issue for a few days. This is not related to the nerve problem he had in his hand earlier this season, and for Cruz, who had his arm wrapped from fingertip to elbow after the game Sunday, this gives him hope that he can continue to play through the pain.

“It’s different, but I have been dealing with it for four or five days,” he said. “When I extend it, I feel it. At least it is better because I still have my strength. It hurts. I guess I have to just see one pitch and put it in play.”

Cruz has been the Mariners’ best hitter over the last week, slugging four home runs in the Minnesota series and driving in eight runs. On the other end of the scale is a bat that the Mariners need to get going: Kyle Seager, who is just 1 for his last 22. Timing at the plate has been the issue.

“He needs to get back to staying aggressive,” Servais said of Seager. “He’s thinking, he knows. He wants to help as bad as anybody to be a part of what we are doing now. It just hasn’t come for him yet, but we have some big games left. Usually he swings the bat well in Houston and that will get him going.”

Hisashi Iwakuma will be looking to bounce back from what was his worst start of the year. In his last start against the Astros, he pitched seven innings of two-hit, no-run ball. First pitch Monday comes your way at 5:10 on 710 ESPN Seattle.

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