Mariners hold on to sweep Astros in Houston, win sixth straight

HOUSTON – It was never going to be easy.

Manager Scott Servais often likes to lament how difficult it is to sweep any team in three-game series. Home or road, perennial division winner or the dregs of the league, beating a team three straight times is a bonus not an expectation.

But a three-game sweep of the Astros … at Minute Maid Park?

Based on the previous four seasons of failure, frustration and losses, so many losses in so many ways, that seemed like an impossible dream and not even a realistic hope.

So when they lost their starting pitcher after two innings due to shoulder injury and immediately saw their six-run lead diminish to one run after his departure, it seemed like the ghosts of past defeats would haunt them again.

Not this team. They prefer difficult over easy.

Not this time. This series and the season series belongs to them.

The Mariners moved past the unexpected misfortune, past and present, using almost every pitcher in their bullpen and holding on for a tense 7-6 victory over the Astros to complete a stunning three-game sweep.

“It all comes down to competing and our guys love to compete,” manager Scott Servais said. “We got after it today and that’s the only way you’re gonna figure out a way to sweep a team like that at this time of the year. We’ll keep it rolling. Guys are feeling it right now. We’re playing great baseball and we’re leaning on each other. And that’s what this team is about.”

It was Seattle’s first series sweep of the Astros since a four-game sweep at Minute Maid Park in 2018.

“We always reference back to that because that was kind of a magical weekend,” Servais said. “We had a lot of things go our way in that series. Big hits, big home runs. For me this series was about pitching. As crazy as that is, you’ve to shut down that lineup over there. A ton of credit goes to our bullpen.”

It was also the Mariners’ sixth straight win, improving their record to 69-55. They maintained their half-game lead over the Blue Jays (69-56) for the third wild card in the American League, but more importantly it moved them within a half-game of the second wild card spot held by the Astros (69-55).

Also with the Rangers (72-52) losing to the Brewers, Seattle sits just three game back of the AL West leaders.

Who had any of this happening in late June when they were mired in mediocrity?

“Credit to our players, again,” Servais said. “We’re in the middle of a long road trip. We’re gonna head to Chicago, it’s gonna be 100 degrees there every day and our guys don’t care. We’re looking forward to getting out and competing and then seeing what the game brings.”

This game brought plenty of unexpected moments, including another injury to a starting pitcher.

Leading 6-0 after the top of the third inning, a victory and sweep seemed likely if not given.

But rookie right-hander Emerson Hancock felt pain in the back of his shoulder and couldn’t post for the bottom of the third. The Mariners later announced that Hancock left the game with a shoulder strain.

“He felt his lat grab a little,” Servais said.

The Mariners scrambled to figure out a pitching plan for the remaining innings that needed to be covered against a top-heavy Astros lineup. The initial results were less than ideal with Hancock’s replacement, lefty Tayler Saucedo, failing to record an out in the five hitters he faced. He loaded the bases and then allowed a two-run single to Yordan Alvarez and an RBI double to Yainer Diaz. The Mariners called on Trent Thornton to clean up the mess. He couldn’t do it without allowing two more of Saucedo’s run to score on a double from Mauricio Dubon.

The six-run lead was reduced to one with all five runs charged to Saucedo.

From there, it was back-and-forth relief affair with each team emptying their bullpen to cover the remainder of the game.

Each unit yielded only one run over the final six innings and proved to be the difference.

The Mariners add-on run came in the fifth inning. Mike Ford led off with an infield single (not a typo), advanced to third on Dominic Canzone’s third hit of the game and scored on Dylan Moore’s single through the right side to make it 7-5.

The Mariners rolled up a 6-0 lead against Astros starter Hunter Brown, scoring two runs off him in each of the first three innings.

The red-hot Julio Rodriguez led off the game with a double over the head of right fielder Chas McCormick. He advanced to third on a wild pitch from Brown and scored on another wild pitch that couldn’t be blocked by catcher Yainer Diaz.

After Teoscar Hernandez and Mike Ford worked two-out walks, Dominic Canzone made it 2-0, roping a double into right field to score Hernandez.

In the second inning, the Mariners picked up two more runs with two outs. Eugenio Suarez hammered a hanging slider off the train tracks high above the left field wall with Josh Rojas on first base. It was his 18th homer of the season.

Brown didn’t finish the third inning. With two outs, Brian O’Keefe ripped a ground ball down the third base line past a diving Alex Bregman to score a pair of runs with two outs, ending Brown’s outing.

His final pitching line: 2⅔ innings, six runs allowed on seven hits with two walks and five strikeouts.

In his two outings versus the Mariners this season, he’s pitched a total of 5⅔ innings, allowing 11 runs on 15 hits with five walks and 13 strikeouts.