Mariners streak ends at five in loss to Astros
By Jalen Brown
The Mariners have been on fire recently, but they came up short last night against the defending champs. The Astros bats overpowered Seattle’s pitching as they put up seven runs to the Mariners’ five.
It’s been a great time to watch baseball in Seattle as of late, but the Mariners fell to the Astros last night with a final score of 5-7. Despite starting pitcher Wade LeBlanc‘s recent success, he struggled in Houston and only managed to make it through four innings. He gave up seven hits and 3 ER, while also walking three. It wasn’t a miserable showing, but he had only allowed six runs in his last six games before this outing.
The Mariners were able to club three home runs, all off Houston starter Lance McCullers. Nelson Cruz, Denard Span, and Kyle Seager all managed to go deep. Jean Segura also had a three-hit game; however, one issue that haunted Seattle was that they went 2-11 with RISP. Conversely, the Astros went 4-6.
Taking one out of two from the defending world champs on the road is nothing to be upset about, as the Mariners still hold a one-game lead in the AL West. They have won five of their last six, and 14 of their previous 18. Seattle will look to right the ship in a four-game series against the Tampa Bay Rays.
The Mariners will send Mike Leake to the mound tonight, who sports a 5-3 record along with a 4.71 ERA. Despite his high ERA, Leake has only allowed four runs in his last three starts. He will have to continue that trend if the Mariners hope to start the road trip off on the right foot. Leake will oppose Ryne Stanek, who is taking part in the Rays “rotation of relievers.” Stanek is making his third start of the season and has a 3.65 ERA.
Next: Sounders Fall Again in Loss to Sacramento
Are things looking good in Seattle? Overall, they’ve been stellar. The Mariners are sitting in first place in the AL West, but there’s still a lot of baseball to play. As of now, it looks as though this team is primed for the postseason. Will they make it? Their journey continues tonight at 4:10 PDT against the Rays.