One night after the Astros staged a five-run 10th-inning comeback against Seattle, there would be no such magic Saturday at Daikin Park.
The Mariners pounded out 15 hits and handed Houston a 10–5 loss, evening the three-game series and dropping the Astros to 63–61. Houston fell to 2–8 against Seattle this season.
The Astros had a chance to take control early. Yordan Alvarez walked with one out in the first before consecutive singles by Isaac Paredes and Daulton Varsho loaded the bases. Jose Altuve followed with an infield single to score Alvarez and give Houston a 1–0 lead.
But with the bases still loaded, Emerson Hancock struck out Christian Walker and Taylor Trammell to escape the inning with no further damage.
Seattle made Houston pay immediately.
Julio Rodríguez, Josh Naylor, and Cole Young opened the second with consecutive singles against Hayden Wesneski, with Young driving in Rodríguez to tie the game. After Wesneski struck out Cal Raleigh, Victor Robles tripled home two runs and Brendan Donovan added an RBI single to put Seattle ahead 4–1.
Christian Vázquez answered in the bottom of the inning with his sixth home run of the season, a solo shot into the Crawford Boxes that cut the deficit to 4–2. But the Astros couldn’t build on it.
Paredes singled to open the third before Altuve grounded into an inning-ending double play, and Hancock then took control. He retired 12 consecutive Astros before Trammell drew a walk in the seventh after the Astros successfully challenged a called third strike.
Even that opportunity disappeared quickly. Cam Smith moved Trammell to second, but Hancock picked him off as Trammell tried to advance to third, ending the inning before pinch-hitter LaMonte Wade Jr. could complete his at-bat.
Wesneski, meanwhile, endured his roughest outing since returning from Tommy John surgery. Donovan added another RBI single in the fourth, and Wesneski’s night ended after four innings. He allowed five runs on seven hits and a walk while striking out six, throwing 81 pitches. His ERA rose to 5.16 through four starts since his return.
Bryan King worked a scoreless fifth before Ronel Blanco took over in the sixth and finished the game, saving the rest of Houston’s bullpen.
Seattle added two more against Blanco in the eighth on RBI hits from Brock Rodden and Donovan, stretching the lead to 7–2. Paredes answered in the bottom half with his 16th homer, a two-run shot that scored Jeremy Peña and briefly pulled Houston within three.
Any hope of another late comeback disappeared in the ninth. Rodríguez and Naylor singled before Young launched his 15th homer, a three-run shot that made it 10–4. Young finished 3-for-5 with four RBIs.
Altuve tripled to open the bottom of the ninth and scored on a Walker groundout for Houston’s final run. Altuve finished 2-for-4 with an RBI, while Paredes led the Astros with three hits and two RBIs.
Hancock earned the win after allowing two runs on five hits over seven innings, striking out eight and walking two. After Houston’s first-inning threat, he gave the Astros very little room to recover.
The Astros and Mariners will decide the series Sunday at Daikin Park, with Hunter Brown scheduled to start for Houston against Seattle right-hander Bryan Woo.
