SEATTLE — The Seattle Mariners have struggled with timely hits and bringing home runners in scoring position this season. The Mariners managed to do both in a 4-3 win against the Houston Astros on Monday at T-Mobile Park. The win improved the home team’s record to 4-7 this season.
Down one with two outs and runners on second and third in the bottom of the eighth, Jorge Polanco hit a two-RBI single up the middle to give Seattle the eventual final of 4-3. All-Star closer Andres Munoz entered the game in the top of the ninth and retired the side in order for his fourth save in as many opportunities.
Polanco finished the game 1-for-4 with two RBIs.
“I (was) just trying to keep it simple,” Polanco said in a postgame interview. “Don’t get the moment get you wrong or make you feel a little bit like you have to do it. Just try to keep it simple, try to get a pitch to hit. … We’re having fun here. I’m having fun playing, the guys (are) playing really good. I know things are a little bit different now, doesn’t go our way. But the way we’re playing is really good.”
Polanco’s hit was needed after the M’s gave up the lead earlier in the game.
The Mariners and Astros both failed to get traction through the first four innings. Seattle had just one base runner through that stretch and Houston had two. All three were left stranded.
The Mariners got a stellar outing from starting pitcher Logan Gilbert. He struck out seven in 5.2 innings pitched, walked two and allowed one earned run on one hit, which was a home run.
“It seemed like we really needed one,” Gilbert said in a postgame interview. “Just trying to give us a good chance out there. Anytime it’s against Houston, it’s pretty competitive and means a lot. Feel like we’ve been playing well, but kind of on the wrong side of things. So we definitely needed this one.”
Ryan Bliss broke the seal with his first homer of the season in the bottom of the fifth. It was a two-run shot to left field that scored Moore and put Seattle in front 2-0. Bliss finished the game 1-for-2 with a run and two RBIs. Moore went 1-for-2 with two runs and a walk.
“It felt really good,” Bliss said in a postgame interview. ” … I think we’d been really close with everything. And just put a good swing on it, and good things happened.”
Gilbert allowed his one hit to Astros second baseman Jose Altuve in the top of the sixth. The former American League MVP’s knock was a solo shot to left field to cut the Mariners’ lead down to 2-1.
Houston got the advantage in the top of the eighth. Before left fielder Yordan Alvarez stepped to the plate with two outs and two on, there was an awkward-looking moment involving the Mariners bullpen. Left-handed reliever Gabe Speier walked out of the bullpen, seemingly to replace Gregory Santos, who was in the middle of a mound visit involving manager Dan Wilson.
Speier went back in the bullpen and Santos remained in the game for Seattle and intentionally walked Alvarez, which loaded the bases for Houston.
Astros first baseman Christian Walker stepped inside the batter’s box after Alvarez. Walker got a ground ball past Moore, who was playing third, to score Altuve and Jake Meyers. Moore was dinged with the fielding error and Houston took a 3-2 lead. The lead was short-lived before Polanco’s heroics in the home half of the frame.
“I thought (Santos) did what he had to do,” Wilson said in a postgame interview. “I think with Alvarez there, the thinking was, ‘We had first base open. Let’s put him on and go after Walker.’ And Santos made a good pitch, got the ground ball and that’s all you can ask in that situation. Unfortunately, we didn’t get the out.”
This is the first Mariners win this season that didn’t feature both a quality and a Munoz save.
Seattle will have a chance to win the series and get closer to .500 in Game 2 at 6:40 p.m. PT on Tuesday. Luis M. Castillo will start for the Mariners and Framber Valdez will start for the Astros.