None of that has stopped the number from settling on Houston as the short favorite here, and there's a reasonable case for it — Lambert's been the steadier arm of the two by ERA, and the Astros have the deeper, more complete roster even with Correa still rehabbing and Altuve banged up.
Seattle's version of progress is a single 1-0 win over the Yankees that finally snapped a five-game skid in which the offense barely scored. That's the tightrope the Mariners are walking: Kirby and the rotation have kept most of these games competitive, but the lineup has to actually show up behind him, and lately it hasn't. A one-run outburst is nice, but it's not a trend yet.
Seattle's bullpen picture makes the swing games scarier than the record suggests — Matt Brash, Cooper Criswell, Carlos Vargas and Cole Wilcox are all out, which is most of a relief corps gone at once. If this one's still tied in the seventh, Houston has the reinforcements to press the advantage; Seattle is scraping.