The Houston Astros returned to action on Friday after having an extended time off due to the MLB All-Star break. Their first opponent to begin the second half of the regular season was a division rival, the Seattle Mariners. The Astros’ offense struggled on the road, which led to a 6-1 loss and put Houston’s record at 56-41.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
It was a slow start offensively for both teams through the first few innings.
The Mariners recorded the first hit of the game at the bottom of the ninth when Mitch Garver hit a two-out single into left field. Garver was then stranded as Dylan Moore grounded out to Houston’s starting pitcher, Brandon Walter, to end the inning.
Water pitched a scoreless game until the fourth. Through the first three innings, the 28-year-old left-handed pitcher allowed that lone hit by Garver and struck out a pair of Mariners batters. That changed at the bottom of the fourth as Randy Arozarena hit a two-out solo home run 445 feet over the left center field wall.
Houston, on the other hand, couldn’t string together a bunch of hits to put any runs on the scoreboard. At the top of the third, Mauricio Dubon and Brice Matthews led off the inning with a pair of hits. Isaac Paredes then flew out, Cam Smith hit into a fielder’s choice, and Jose Altuve struck out to keep the game scoreless to that point.
Seattle’s starting pitcher, Luis Castillo, remained on the mound through the first 6.2 innings, allowing just three hits and walking two batters compared to striking out another seven. Gabe Speier went in and recorded the final out by forcing Dubon to fly out into right field to send the game to the bottom of the seventh.
The Mariners added to their lead before the end of that same frame. In another two-out situation, Garver faced Astros relief pitcher Bennett Sousa and went yard on the first pitch he saw. That extra run on the board put Seattle ahead by two with two innings left in regulation.
Houston responded in the eighth and ended their scoring drought. Matt Brash walked Matthews to open the frame, and Paredes followed that up by hitting an RBI double into center field to cut it to a one-run game.
Everything fell apart for the Astros at the bottom of the eighth. Steven Okert was Houston’s next pitcher. The 34-year-old relief pitcher walked Cole Young, who advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Ben Williamson and scored on an RBI single by JP Crawford. Skipper Joe Espada made another pitching change, this time to Hector Neris.
Neris walked Julio Rodriguez, and then Cal Raleigh hit an RBI single before stealing second, and Arozarena was intentionally walked to load the bases. Donovan Solano hit a sacrifice fly to score J-Rod, and then Raliegh scored on a Neris wild pitch to put Seattle ahead by five.
Houston couldn’t muster up any runs and ended up losing 6-1 in their first game back from the All-Star break. Friday’s loss put the Astros at 56-41 on the season.
BIG NUMBER: 6
After a strong start to the season, Houston has been on a bit of a downward spiral as of late. Over the last seven games, the Astros have lost six times. This losing skid only gives Houston a four-game lead in the AL West division.
PLAYER OF THE GAME: Mitch Garver
Garver was the only Mariners batter to record multiple hits in Friday’s game. His 2/4 from the plate performance helped elevate Seattle 6-1 over Houston, putting the Astros at 56-41 on the season.
UP NEXT: Game two between the Houston Astros and Seattle Mariners is set for Saturday, July 19th. First pitch from T-Mobile Park is scheduled for 8:40 and the action can be heard on ESPN 103.7 Lafayette 104.1 Lake Charles.