Astros complete the sweep of Seattle

Astros daily report presented by APG&E: 3 hits from the 6-1 win

Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images

With the series win already locked up, the Astros looked to complete the series sweep on Sunday to end their homestand on a high note. Here's a quick rundown of Sunday's game:

Final Score: Astros 6, Mariners 1.

Record: 53-32, first in the AL West.

Winning pitcher: Gerrit Cole (8-5, 3.28 ERA).

Losing pitcher: Marco Gonzalez (9-7, 4.39 ERA).

1) Alvarez back in the lineup 

After getting a couple of days to rest his knee that he fouled a ball off earlier this week, Yordan Alvarez was in the lineup for the first time in this series against the Mariners. He made his presence in the batting order known, erasing a 1-0 deficit in the bottom of the first inning with a two-RBI double to give the Astros a 2-1 lead.

Alex Bregman blasted a ball with one out in the bottom of the third, coming just short of a home run but getting a fortunate bounce off the wall to result in a stand-up triple. Alvarez was up next and quickly took advantage, getting his third RBI of the day on a single to extend the lead to 3-1. He'd go 2-for-3 with an intentional walk and the 3 RBIs on the day.

2) Great day for Cole 

Gerrit Cole did not look like he was going to have a great day after the first inning where he allowed a one-out solo home run to give Seattle a quick 1-0 lead. He'd quickly and efficiently rebound from that mistake, though, locking in and keeping the Mariners off the board over the next six innings.

He'd also work his was to another double-digit strikeout game, getting ten over his seven innings to bring his season total to 161. Cole's final line: 7 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 10 K, 1 HR.

3) Astros tack on a few more

With Cole's day done after his seven innings of one-run baseball, Collin McHugh took over in the top of the eighth. He would get the first two outs relatively quickly, but then allowed a single and a walk, prompting another call to the bullpen to bring out Ryan Pressly to get the final out of the inning.

In the bottom of the eighth, Houston put runners on second and third on a leadoff single from Josh Reddick followed by a double from Max Stassi. With one out, Jake Marisnick took advantage and drove in both with a two-RBI single to extend the lead to 5-1, then later scored on an RBI-single by Jose Altuve to make it 6-1.

With the five-run lead, Houston turned to Josh James to wrap up the game and the sweep in the top of the ninth. He did just that, striking out the side to help the Astros extend their division lead to 6.5 games with the win.

Up Next: The Astros will travel to Colorado tonight and get a day off tomorrow before starting a quick two-game series with the Rockies on Tuesday. With Brad Peacock going onto the injured list, Houston has not yet named their starter for the first of the two games, but the Rockies are expected to start German Marquez (8-3, 4.29 ERA).

The Astros daily report is presented by APG&E.

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The Houston Astros haven't counted on their catchers to deliver much offensive production in recent years, with defensive specialist Martin Maldonado being their primary catcher for the last few seasons. But top hitting prospect Yainer Diaz is making a case to get more playing time behind the plate and at first, based on his ability to swing the bat.

Until recently, he hasn't been able to get any meaningful playing time. Even David Hensley, who was optioned to Sugar Land a few weeks ago, has more plate appearances than Diaz this season.

So how does manager Dusty Baker find more opportunities for Diaz? Should he use him more often as a DH, along with getting time at first base and catcher?

And what does that mean for Jose Abreu, Martin Maldonado, and to a lesser extent, former first round pick and Sugar Land Space Cowboy catcher, Korey Lee?

Plus, considering how good the Astros outfielders have been this year, does the team need to grab another bat before the trade deadline?

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