Houston's offense went scoreless

Astros shutout by Mariners, preventing a four-game sweep

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

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.

Most Popular

SportsMap Emails
Are Awesome

Listen Live

ESPN Houston 97.5 FM

This week on Stone Cold 'Stros:The WBC is not making fans in the US after some key impactful injuries (Jose Altuve). Weighing Astros options for second base and the leadoff spot. Does Dana Brown lob Yuli Gurriel a call? Jeremy Pena credits another Astros with his postseason success.

About Stone Cold 'Stros: SportsMap Houston is proud to bring you what we believe to be the most informative and interactive Astros podcast: Stone Cold 'Stros! Featuring senior content contributor Charlie Pallilo, Sportsmap.com editor Josh Jordan, and digital sports director Brandon Strange, our goal is to make Stone Cold 'Stros your go-to source for Astros news and reaction without all the noisy, exhausting hot takes.

New episodes stream LIVE Mondays at 3pm on the SportsMap HOU YouTube channel, where you can interact with the show. The audio version will release across most listening platforms later that evening. Search for us on your favorite podcast provider today or click one of the providers below and be sure to subscribe. Let's go 'Stros!

Apple Podcasts

AudioBoom

Google Podcasts

iHeart

RSS

Spotify

Stitcher

YouTube

SportsMap Emails
Are Awesome