The Houston Astros did not come out of the All-Star break they way they'd hoped. Brandon Walter held up his end of the bargain, striking out seven over six innings of work. But Houston was barely able to scratch across a single run in their second-half opener against the Seattle Mariners and fell by a final score of 6-1.
The Astros got a bit of good news on Friday, however, after it was revealed that Yordan Álvarez was swinging the bat once again. Álvarez is on the road with the Astros in Seattle and was able to get in some light work before Game 1 of Houston's series against the Mariners.