MARINERS DEFEAT ASTROS

Astros drop the finale as Mariners roll to easy 8-1 victory

Astros drop the finale as Mariners roll to easy 8-1 victory
Kikuchi pitched well despite the loss. Photo by Jack Gorman/Getty Images.

Mitch Garver and Julio Rodríguez homered, and the Seattle Mariners took advantage of five Houston errors during an 8-1 victory over the Astros on Wednesday.

Seattle (82-77) won for the fifth time in seven games as it tries to rally into an AL wild card. It is chasing Detroit and Kansas City for one of the last two spots.

The Mariners were down 1-0 before rallying in the sixth. Dylan Moore reached on the first of four errors by rookie third baseman Shay Whitcomb, who entered in the fourth. Victor Robles walked and Cal Raleigh hit a one-out single to load the bases.

Justin Turner then extended his on-base streak to 20 consecutive games with his single on a line drive to left field that scored two.

Garver opened the seventh with his 14th homer on a line drive into the seats in left field. The Mariners added two more runs in the inning thanks to three errors by the Astros, including two more by Whitcomb.

A fourth error by Whitcomb allowed Moore to reach with no outs in the ninth, and he scored on a double by Robles. Rodríguez then hit his 20th homer of the season.

Yusei Kikuchi (9-10) struck out eight in six innings in his first loss with Houston. He was charged with two unearned runs and four hits.

The Astros won Kikuchi's first nine starts after he was acquired in a July 29 trade with Toronto. He went 5-0 with a 3.00 ERA during that stretch.

George Kirby (14-11) pitched six innings of four-hit ball in his third consecutive win for Seattle. He struck out six and walked one.

Victor Caratini hit an RBI single in the third for the Astros, who played without many of their regulars a day after clinching their fourth straight AL West title.

There was a special moment for Alex Bregman in the fourth inning of what could be his final regular-season home game at Minute Maid Park. He is eligible for free agency after this season.

Bregman trotted out to third base, but manager Joe Espada lifted him for a defensive replacement before the inning started. Bregman slowly walked to the dugout as he received a standing ovation. He paused before entering the dugout and tipped his cap to the crowd.

Selected by Houston with the No. 2 pick in the 2015 amateur draft, Bregman has spent his entire career with the Astros.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Astros: OF/DH Yordan Alvarez will not travel with the team on its upcoming road trip, instead staying in Houston to receive treatment on his sprained right knee. Espada said Alvarez had improved Wednesday and that some of the swelling had subsided since he was injured on a slide Sunday.

UP NEXT

Mariners: Open a three-game series against the Athletics on Friday night in Seattle.

Astros: Traveling to Cleveland for a three-game series starting Friday night.

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The Longhorns are heavy favorites. Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images.

Mississippi State (1-3, 0-1 SEC) at No. 1 Texas (4-0, 0-0), Saturday, 4:15 pm ET (SEC Network)

BetMGM College Football Odds: Texas by 38 1/2.

Series record: 2-2.

WHAT'S AT STAKE?

Texas makes its long-awaited SEC debut against a Bulldogs team that is beaten up and struggling under first-year coach Jeff Lebby. The Longhorns will be looking to make a statement worthy of No. 1 in its first SEC game. Coach Steve Sarkisian must decide if injured quarterback Quinn Ewers is healthy enough to play or start Arch Manning for a second consecutive game.

KEY MATCHUP

Mississippi State's defensive line vs Texas running back Jaydon Blue. The Bulldogs surrendered a whopping 262 yards rushing to Arizona State's Cam Skattebo, and 226 yards last week against Florida. Blue had a career game for Texas against Louisiana-Monroe last week with 124 yards rushing four total touchdowns.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Mississippi State: Freshman quarterback Michael Van Buren will start in front of a road crowd of more than 100,000 against a Texas defense that has given up just two touchdowns and 22 total points this season. Van Buren is 7-of-13 passing for 100 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions in two appearances. Regular starter Blake Shapen was lost for the season with a shoulder injury.

Texas: Linebackers Anthony Hill Jr. and Liona Lefau have become the Longhorns' all-around playmakers on defense Hill is Texas' leading tackler and has two sacks and an interception. Lefau also has two sacks and recorded a safety last week. Look for Texas to unleash both as blitz pass rushers on Van Buren.

FACTS & FIGURES

Texas ranks No. 1 nationally in scoring defense and No. 5 in overall defense ... The Longhorns have seven interceptions this season, best in the SEC ... Mississippi State has scored in 48 consecutive games dating to Oct. 21, 2020.

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