After taking two of three in Arlington against the Rangers, the Astros started the second of this three-leg road trip with an opener against the Mariners in Seattle on Monday night. They would grab and hold on to a late one-run lead, taking the first of the three-game set.

Final Score: Astros 4, Mariners 3

Astros' Record: 78-53, first in the AL West

Winning Pitcher: Phil Maton (4-0)

Losing Pitcher: Joe Smith (2-3)

Houston scores first, Mariners respond

Things looked up for the Astros in the top of the first inning, as they would seven batters to the plate, scoring the game's first two runs. The first came on an RBI single by Yordan Alvarez, followed later by a sac fly by Kyle Tucker, putting Houston on top 2-0 before the Mariners had a chance to get to the plate themselves.

The offensive momentum shifted Seattle's way after that, as they would cut the lead in half against Luis Garcia with a solo homer in the second. Garcia did well otherwise, dealing with some traffic but holding the one-run lead through his first five innings. He returned in the top of the sixth, but after a leadoff walk followed by a single, he would not get an out in the inning before being removed. Brooks Raley came in to try and strand the inherited runners, but after a double play would allow a go-ahead two-run homer, finalizing Garcia's line: 5.0 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 6 K, 1 HR, 78 P.

Astros go back in front in the eighth

Raley would finish the sixth, then Phil Maton would come in as Houston's next reliever in the bottom of the seventh. He kept it a one-run game, working around a two-out walk and error to send the 3-2 game to the top of the eighth. That inning, the Astros would score their first runs since the top of the first, getting a leadoff single by Yuli Gurriel, who scored on a Kyle Tucker RBI single, his second RBI of the game. Tucker would also come in to score, putting Houston back in front on a go-ahead single by Jake Meyers to make it a 4-3 lead.

Astros take the opener

Ryne Stanek would take over on the mound in the bottom of the eighth for the Astros, tossing a 1-2-3 frame by striking out all three Mariners he faced. With the lead still one run in the bottom of the ninth, Houston turned to their closer Ryan Pressly. Although he struggled to find the zone early in the inning, issuing a leadoff walk, he would rebound to retire the next three batters to wrap up the win.

Up Next: The middle of this three-game set will be another 9:10 PM Central start on Tuesday. Lance McCullers Jr. (10-4, 3.32 ERA) will take the mound for the Astros, with the Mariners set to start Yusei Kikuchi (7-7, 4.33 ERA).