Paredes was named an AL All-Star this season, and his contributions had been worth an estimated 2.5 Wins Above Replacement, per Baseball-Reference's calculations. The Astros originally added Paredes from the Chicago Cubs as part of the Kyle Tucker trade.

Houston and Seattle are tied for first in the AL West with 9 games to go. The Astros and Mariners open a 3-game series Friday at Daikin Park.

With just 11 games remaining in the regular season for the Seattle Mariners, their magic number to make the playoffs has come into focus.

Entering Thursday's games, the Mariners stand 83-69 and second in the American League (AL) West. Seattle is tied with the Boston Red Sox for second in the AL Wild Card standings. Here's how the rest of the season shakes out for the Mariners, and what the team must do in order to get back into the postseason.

A division title would be fantastic, but the Seattle Mariners have to make sure, first and foremost, that they lock up a playoff spot. There are a lot of things

Circumstances rarely align as neatly as they do for the Seattle Mariners this weekend. Mike Lefko sets the stage for the seismic AL West showdown in Houston.

Jose Altuve hit a two-run home run and Jeremy Peña homered and doubled to help the Houston Astros complete a three-game sweep of the Texas Rangers with a 5-2 win Wednesday night

Though the Seattle Mariners have nine games left in their regular season, only the next three really matter. This is an exaggeration. It is also true, at least in an emotional sense. The Mariners are in Houston for a three-game series with the Astros at Daikin Park.