The Houston Astros fell 7-3 to the Seattle Mariners on Sunday night in Daikin Park. The loss comes after Houston also dropped the first two of the series, losing the season tiebreaker to the Mariners and now falling three back in the division. If the playoffs started today, the Astros would miss out altogether.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
The Astros (84-72) turned to Jason Alexander in this massive game, and he began well. A one-two-three top half of the first gave the Astros the first chance in the bottom half.
The Mariners (87-69) countered with Logan Gilbert. He gave up a leadoff double to Jose Altuve but worked around it to keep the score 0-0 after one inning.
Alexander ran into major trouble in the second inning. With the bases loaded, he walked in a run to make it 1-0. Then, JP Crawford delivered a grand slam to break things open and give Seattle an early 5-0 lead.
The lead would expand further. After another baserunner, Cal Raleigh hit his big-league leading 58th home run, making it 7-0 Mariners. This all took place in the top of the second.
Houston tried to chip away at the big lead. They got a solo home run from Zach Cole to make it 7-1. Then in the seventh, Altuve drove ina run with a single. Another solo shot, this one from Isaac Paredes, made it 7-3 in the eighth.
Despite the comeback effort, Houston ran out of time. They fell 7-3, slipping to three games back in the AL West.
BIG NUMBER: 3
With just six games left to play, Houston is now three back in the division and des not hold the tiebreaker against Seattle. That makes it a very uphill climb heading into the final week. They are alive for a Wild Card spot, but will need to win several games down the stretch.
PLAYER OF THE GAME: JP Crawford
This was one of those games where one big swing completely changed the night. Crawford’s no-doubt grand slam was the difference, and it came early in the contest.
UP NEXT: The Astros will be off on Monday before beginning a series in Sacramento against the Athletics on Tuesday night.