Houston Astros Tie for First Place in AL West with 3-0 Win over Seattle MarinersHouston Astros Tie for First Place in AL West with 3-0 Win over Seattle Mariners
SEATTLE — Houston Astros starting pitcher Hunter Brown limited the Seattle Mariners to four hits in six innings, while Yainer Diaz drove in two runs with a single, as the Astros moved into a tie for first place in the AL West with a 3-0 victory on Friday night.
After trailing Seattle by 10 games on June 18, the Astros have won 18 of their last 31 games to climb to a tie with the Mariners. Brown, who improved his record to 8-6, escaped a bases-loaded jam in the third inning and forced a double play in the fifth to end another Mariners scoring threat.
The Astros offense struggled against Mariners starter Luis Castillo until the fourth inning, when they loaded the bases with no outs. Diaz then singled to drive in two runs and give Houston a 3-0 lead.
Castillo allowed six hits and struck out three in seven innings, but took the loss. Seattle has now lost eight of its last 16 games, falling to 8-16 since blowing a 10-game lead in the AL West.
The Mariners offense has been struggling recently, and they were unable to break through against Brown and the Astros bullpen. Bryan Abreu, Ryan Pressly, and Josh Hader combined for three perfect innings, with Hader earning his 19th save of the season.
In other roster moves, Seattle recalled left-handed pitcher Gabe Speier from the injured list and designated right-hander Mike Baumann for assignment. Speier had been out since June 1 with a rotator cuff injury.
The Astros will face the Mariners again on Saturday in the second game of the series. Framber Valdez will start for Houston, while George Kirby will take the mound for Seattle.
SEATTLE — Hunter Brown avoided the grind by allowing four hits in six innings, Yainer Diaz connected for the big one with a two-run single and the Houston Astros moved into a tie for first place in the AL West with a 3-0 win over the Seattle Mariners on Friday night.
The Astros (51-46) trailed Seattle by 10 games and were seven games below .500 on June 18, but have surged in the past 24 games. Houston improved to 18-6 over the last 31 days and used a big inning against Seattle starter Luis Castillo to complete its climb to a tie.
Since blowing a 10-game lead, the Mariners (52-47) have fallen to 8-16, in part due to a losing effort to their division rival just after the All-Star break that drew a booing from the home crowd after the final out.
Seattle’s offense continued to be the problem. Brown (8-6) struggled through the first two innings but came up with key pitches when needed. He lined out Cal Raleigh with the bases loaded and two outs in the third, and forced a double play from Josh Rojas to end the fifth after the first two batters reached base.
Brown labored through the sixth, surrendering three hits and striking out five. Bryan Abreu and Ryan Pressly were perfect in the seventh and eighth, and Josh Hader pitched the ninth for his 19th save.
Houston’s one big inning against Castillo (8-10) began when Trey Cabbage doubled, then scored when Jose Altuve reached on a bunt single and a bad throw from Rojas got away from first baseman Ty France. Alex Bregman was hit by a pitch and Yordan Alvarez walked on four pitches to load the bases with no outs.
As Castillo struggled to control the ball, Diaz jumped on the first pitch and hit a single that scored Altuve and Bregman.
The third was the only inning in which Castillo had serious trouble. He went seven innings, allowing six hits and striking out three, but lost for the first time since June 25.
Seattle has recalled LHP Gabe Speier from the 15-day injured list and designated RHP Mike Baumann for assignment. Speier has been out since June 1 with a rotator cuff injury, eliminating a key reliever from Seattle’s bullpen. Baumann, acquired from Baltimore in late May, was 2-0 with a 5.51 ERA in 18 appearances for the Mariners.
Astros: LHP Framber Valdez (8-5, 3.66) will try to win his third straight decision. Valdez struck out a season-high 10 batters in his last start.
Mariners: RHP George Kirby (7-7, 3.29) has allowed three or fewer earned runs in nine consecutive starts.
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