MARINERS DEFEAT ASTROS
Astros fall flat as Mariners cruise to 6-1 victory
Sep 23, 2024, 10:43 pm
MARINERS DEFEAT ASTROS
Bryce Miller threw seven shutout innings and Julio Rodríguez had three hits and two RBIs to help the Seattle Mariners to a 6-1 win Monday night over Houston that prevented the Astros from clinching the AL West title.
The Astros entered needing only a victory over second-place Seattle to secure their fourth straight division crown.
Instead, they struggled against Miller (12-8), managing just two singles while playing without injured slugger Yordan Alvarez.
Seattle has won four of five to move within 1 1/2 games of the final American League wild-card spot in a crowded race that also includes Detroit, Kansas City and Minnesota.
The Mariners are four games behind the Astros in the division standings with five to play. Houston will have another chance to wrap up the AL West when the teams meet again Tuesday night.
Jon Singleton walked with one out in the second and an infield single by Jeremy Peña gave Houston its first hit with two outs. Miller sailed through the next few innings, retiring the 13 consecutive batters before walking Alex Bregman to start the seventh.
Yainer Diaz singled on a grounder to right field and both runners advanced on a groundout by Singleton. But then Miller struck out the next two hitters to end his night.
Houston starter Hunter Brown (11-9) permitted three hits and a run with eight strikeouts in six innings.
Seattle’s Justin Turner had a hit and an RBI to extend his streak of reaching base safely to 18 games, which is the longest active run in the majors.
Cal Raleigh put the Mariners up early with an RBI single in the third.
Turner singled to open the seventh before a one-out single by J.P. Crawford chased reliever Caleb Ferguson. Kaleb Ort took over and walked pinch-hitter Dylan Moore to load the bases.
Rodríguez singled home Turner with two outs to push the lead to 2-0. Moore was thrown out at third on the play to end the inning.
Raleigh, Randy Arozarena and Luke Raley hit consecutive singles to load the bases to start the eighth. A sacrifice fly by Turner made it 3-0, and a double by Jorge Polanco sent another run home.
Houston got its only run on a homer by Jason Heyward to start the eighth.
Rodríguez and Arozarena added RBI doubles in the ninth to make it 6-1.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Mariners: RHP Gregory Santos (biceps inflammation) was reinstated from the 15-day injured list. … LHP Jhonathan Díaz was optioned to the team’s spring training complex.
Astros: Alvarez was scheduled to have an MRI on Monday after dealing with inflammation after he bruised his right knee on a slide Sunday.
Update: He has been diagnosed with a sprained knee, and won't play in the Mariners series.
Yordan Alvarez has a right knee sprain. He will not be available this series.
— Julia Morales (@JuliaMorales) September 24, 2024
UP NEXT
The Mariners hadn’t announced their starter for Tuesday night. LHP Framber Valdez (14-7, 2.85 ERA) will pitch for Houston.
Houston Astros slugger Yordan Alvarez is going on the 10-day injured list with inflammation in his right hand.
The issue had caused the three-time All-Star to miss the last two games of the Astros’ weekend series with the Chicago White Sox. The move, announced before the Astros' Monday night game at Milwaukee, is retroactive to Saturday.
Houston recalled catcher César Salazar from Triple-A Sugar Land in a corresponding move.
Alvarez, 27, has batted .210 with a .306 on-base percentage, three homers and 18 RBIs in 29 games this season. That follows a 2024 season in which he batted. 308 with a .392 on-base percentage, 35 homers and 86 RBIs in 147 games while earning a third straight All-Star Game selection and finishing ninth in the AL Most Valuable Player voting.
He has posted an OPS of at least .959 each of the past three seasons and ranked fourth in the AL in that category last year.
Salazar, 26, was hitting .197 with a .305 on-base percentage, two homers and seven RBIs in 21 games for Sugar Land. He hit .320 with a .387 on-base percentage, no homers and eight RBIs in 12 games with Houston last year.