Houston's offense went scoreless

Astros shutout by Mariners, preventing a four-game sweep

​Astros Jose Altuve
Houston's offense went scoreless Thursday afternoon. Photo by Harry How/Getty Images

Houston's offense went scoreless Thursday afternoon.

After a thrilling comeback win on Wednesday night to grab the first three games of this series, the Astros returned to Minute Maid Park on Thursday afternoon to try and put an exclamation point on an already successful homestand. A four-game sweep was not in the cards, however, as Houston's offense would go cold in the finale, ending the eight-game stretch of home matchups on a sour note.

Final Score: Mariners 1, Astros 0

Astros' Record: 13-12, fourth in the AL West

Winning Pitcher: Yusei Kikuchi (1-1)

Losing Pitcher: Luis Garcia (0-3)

Garcia does well, but support never arrives

Luis Garcia had a relatively successful day on the mound, giving his team a chance by holding the Mariners to just one run over five innings. The run came on a solo home run by Taylor Trammell in the top of the third, putting Seattle in front 1-0. Unfortunately for Garcia, that would be the only run of the game, sending him to the loss. His final line: 5.0 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 6 K, 73 P.

Kikuchi takes a no-hitter into the seventh, Mariners complete the shutout

That's because Yusei Kikuchi was having an even better day. He would blank the Astros over seven innings, allowing just one hit, a double by Carlos Correa at the bottom of the seventh. After Garcia for Houston, the combination of Bryan Abreu, Brooks Raley, and Joe Smith finished off the final four innings, all scoreless.

Seattle's bullpen would finish the job for Kikuchi, getting two more scoreless innings while allowing just one hit, a single by Alex Bregman in the bottom of the ninth to finish Houston's day with just two knocks. The loss tumbles Houston down to fourth in the division standings, for now, as they head out on the road for the next six games over seven days.



Up Next: Houston will travel to Tampa Bay to start a three-game set with the Rays Friday at 6:10 PM Central. Lance McCullers Jr. (1-1, 4.58 ERA) will head to the mound to try and help the Astros get back in the win column, while Ryan Yarbrough (1-2, 4.28 ERA) will be on the bump for the Rays.

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Can the Rockets take down the Thunder? Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images.

The Houston Rockets face a major test Friday night as they host the Oklahoma City Thunder, who enter the matchup riding an 11-game road winning streak.

Houston (50-27) sits second in the Western Conference and has been dominant on the boards, leading the conference with 48.8 rebounds per game behind Alperen Sengun’s 10.5 per contest. The Rockets have also been red-hot, winning eight of their last ten while averaging 122.1 points per game.

The Thunder (64-12) hold the best record in the West and have been nearly unstoppable, winning 10 straight overall while outscoring opponents by nearly 20 points per game in that stretch. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander continues to play at an MVP level, averaging 32.8 points, 6.3 assists, and 1.7 steals per game.

Houston will need a big night from Jalen Green, who’s averaging 21.5 points, to keep pace with an OKC team that ranks among the league’s best in efficiency on both ends. The Thunder’s ability to limit turnovers and their defensive pressure could be a deciding factor.

With playoff seeding on the line, expect an intense battle between the top two teams in the West.


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