SEATTLE – The Seattle Mariners narrowly defeated the Houston Astros 4-3 on Monday night, halting a three-game losing streak. Jorge Polanco proved to be instrumental with his pivotal two-run single in the eighth inning, striking a hit off Houston reliever Bryan Abreu that sailed into center field. Prior to this, the Astros had captured a brief 3-2 lead courtesy of two unearned runs in the top half of the same inning.
Mariners’ right-hander Logan Gilbert showcased a strong performance on the mound, tallying an impressive seven strikeouts and allowing just one run over 5 2/3 innings. The victory was credited to Gregory Santos, who now holds a 1-1 record, while Andrés Muñoz secured his fourth save by successfully closing out the ninth inning. For Houston, Jose Altuve provided a spark when he drilled a solo home run in the sixth inning, marking the Astros’ first hit of the game.
Seattle initially established a 2-0 lead during the fifth inning, thanks to Ryan Bliss smashing his first homer of the season, a decisive two-run blast to left-center field. In an eventful eighth inning, Houston managed to load the bases with two outs. A ground ball from Christian Walker was bobbled by Mariners third baseman Dylan Moore, a costly error that allowed two runs to cross the plate.
On the Astros’ end, starting pitcher Hayden Wesneski delivered a commendable effort, pitching seven effective innings and conceding only two runs and three hits. Despite holding down the fort for much of the game, Tayler Scott took the loss, standing at a 0-1 record.
Before the game, the Mariners made a few adjustments to their lineup following Victor Robles’ mishap of dislocating his shoulder during a catch on Sunday against the Giants. This shake-up saw Luke Raley stepping in for the injured Robles in right field, with Julio Rodríguez taking the leadoff spot for Seattle.
In an unfortunate incident for Houston, right-hander Spencer Arrighetti suffered an injury when a line drive struck him in the outfield during warmups, resulting in a broken right thumb.
Key moments in the game included a fourth-inning mishap when Houston’s Isaac Paredes reached base due to an error; however, Gilbert adeptly responded by striking out Yordan Alvarez, Walker, and Jeremy Pena, each on a swing.
In the closely contested matchup, both teams combined for a total of six hits. Looking ahead, the Mariners will send right-hander Luis Castillo, who holds a 1-1 record and 3.00 ERA, to face Astros left-hander Framber Valdez, whose season so far mirrors Castillo at 1-1 with a 3.75 ERA. The two are slated to go head-to-head on Tuesday night.