Mariners Game Recap: Astros Blast Past M’s in Houston

The Astros made use of the long ball during their victory against the Mariners on Tuesday night in Houston.

The Houston Astros beat the Seattle Mariners for the second consecutive day on Tuesday at Minute Maid Park. The Astros launched three home runs en route to winning 5-2. Dallas Keuchel (6-9, 5.02 ERA) earned the win for the home side, and Taijuan Walker (4-7, 3.66 ERA) was saddled with the loss for Seattle. Will Harris picked up his 9th save of the campaign.

The Mariners started the scoring in the top of the second inning. Following a Nelson Cruz groundout, Dae-ho Lee singled and Kyle Seager doubled to put runners on second and third with only one out. Chris Iannetta plated Lee on an RBI groundout to Carlos Correa at shortstop to give the Mariners a 1-0 lead.

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The Astros knotted the game in the home half of the second inning. Walker was able to retire the first two men he faced with ease, but Luis Valbuena went deep to right field for a solo homer.

Seattle regained the lead in the fourth inning thanks to a Nelson Cruz solo home run. Cruz muscled up on a 79 mph slider, sending it deep to left-center field for his 22nd big fly of the season. The Mariners held a 2-1 lead midway through the fourth.

However, the lead was once again short-lived, as Houston scored 4 runs in the bottom of the fourth inning. Jose Altuve led off the rally with an infield single. One batter later, Colby Rasmus went yard for a 2-run homer to give the Astros a 3-2 lead. Following the dinger, Valbuena worked a walk and A.J. Reed clubbed a 2-run home run of his own to make it a 5-2 game.

Reed’s round-tripper spelled the end of Walker’s night, as he was replaced after just four frames of work. Walker allowed 5 runs on 5 hits while striking out 5 and walking 1. Had it not been for all the homers, Prince Tai likely would’ve lasted much longer tonight. 47 of his 62 pitches found the strike zone, but obviously, many of those pitches caught far too much of the plate.

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Mike Montgomery came on for the Mariners in the fifth inning, and he proceeded to keep the Astros off the scoreboard for the next four innings. The lanky southpaw shut down the home side, allowing just 2 hits while striking out 2 and walking 1. Monty sports a stingy 2.15 ERA on the season, and he has quickly become one of the most versatile arms in the M’s bullpen.

The Mariners had some chances to score tonight, but they failed to come through in the clutch. Combined, they had 7 hits and 8 total baserunners. Seager led the way with a pair of base knocks, including the M’s only extra-base hit of the night. Seattle went 0 for 7 with runners in scoring position, and that simply isn’t going to cut it.

Looking ahead, the Mariners (43-41) will hope to avoid being swept by the Astros (45-39) on Wednesday evening in Houston. First pitch is scheduled for 5:10 pm PT from Minute Maid Park. Wade LeBlanc (1-0, 1.50 ERA) will try to keep it rolling for the M’s, and Mike Fiers (6-3, 4.12 ERA) will be on the bump for the ‘Stros.