Astros Blank Mariners 7-0, Move Back Into AL West Tie
The short version
- Final score: Astros 7, Mariners 0
- Yordan Alvarez collected his 100th RBI and hit his 41st home run
- Christian Walker's three-run shot was the 200th homer of his career
- Cristian Javier left after two innings with right groin soreness
- Houston is tied for first in the AL West and holds the tiebreaker
Houston rode early offense and strong bullpen work to a road win over Seattle and a share of first place in the AL West.
Houston opened with four straight singles, and Yordan Alvarez's run-scoring hit put the visitors ahead 1-0. It was Alvarez's 100th RBI of the year, though the Astros left the bases loaded without further damage. Seattle put runners on against Cristian Javier in the bottom of the first but did not score.
Christian Walker broke the game open in the third with a three-run homer to left, his 200th career long ball and first in two weeks, capping the frame at 4-0 after Jose Altuve and Yainer Diaz had singled. Logan Gilbert was chased after four innings and 10 hits on 81 pitches, while Javier exited after two innings with right groin soreness.
From there the bullpens took over. Miguel Ullola threw two scoreless frames, Bennett Sousa worked through the fifth and sixth while fanning three, and AJ Blubaugh added a clean seventh. Isaac Paredes homered off J.A. Ferrer in the sixth to make it 5-0, and Alvarez added a two-run shot to right in the eighth, his 41st of the season. Logan VanWey closed it out, allowing only a single to Julio Rodriguez.
The win, combined with a Texas loss, put Houston back into a tie for the AL West lead with the tiebreaker in hand. Jeremy Pena stole his 10th base on his 29th birthday, Cam Smith doubled in the second to end an 0-for-26 skid, and Alvarez extended his hitting streak to seven games. The two-game series concludes Wednesday with George Kirby starting for Seattle; first pitch is 9:10 p.m. CDT.