Seattle @ Houston preview

Last Meeting ( Aug 29, 2013 ) Seattle 3, Houston 2

Highly regarded pitcher Taijuan Walker makes his major-league debut when the Seattle Mariners visit the Houston Astros on Friday in the second contest of a four-game set. The right-handed Walker is Seattle’s No. 1 overall prospect and has shot up the ranks since being the 43rd overall selection in the 2010 draft. Walker attempts to make it consecutive wins for the Mariners after a 3-2 victory in Thursday's opener halted a six-game skid.

Seattle’s Franklin Gutierrez went 3-for-4 on Thursday with a two-run blast - his second homer in three games since returning from a hamstring injury. “It’s hard not to imagine how much better we’d be as a ballclub if we had him all year or for the last three years, for that matter,” Mariners manager Eric Wedge said in reference to the injury-prone outfielder. The Astros have lost three consecutive contests, and Thursday’s defeat dropped them to 16-28 in one-run games.

TV: 8:10 p.m. ET, ROOT (Seattle), CSN (Houston)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Mariners RH Taijuan Walker (NR) vs. Astros RH Brad Peacock (3-4, 5.67)

The 21-year-old Walker went 5-3 with a 3.61 ERA in 11 starts at Triple-A Tacoma after beginning the season with Double-A Jackson and compiling a 4-7 record and 2.46 ERA. His fastball routinely is clocked in the mid-90s and his changeup is considered advanced for someone his age. The 6-foot-4, 210-pound Walker has 160 strikeouts in 141 1/3 innings between this season’s two minor-league stops.

Peacock went 1-1 with a 9.64 ERA in two April starts against Seattle, giving up five homers in 9 1/3 innings. He has won his last two outings, beating the Los Angeles Angels on Aug. 16 and Toronto eight days later. Peacock has limited opposing hitters to a .187 average in four starts since the All-Star break.

WALK-OFFS

1. Houston C Jason Castro hit a run-scoring double in the opener and is batting .360 with 14 RBIs in 75 at-bats this month.

2. Seattle OF Michael Morse didn’t play Thursday after Baltimore claimed him off waivers. The Mariners and Orioles have 48 hours to work out a trade.

3. Astros LHP Kevin Chapman hasn’t allowed a run in the first 12 appearances of his career - tying the franchise mark set by Tom Martin in 1997.

PREDICTION: Astros 5, Mariners 3