J.P. Crawford’s walk-off single with one out and the bases loaded in the ninth inning capped the Seattle Mariners’ rally from a five-run deficit in an 8-7 victory against the visiting Houston Astros on Saturday night.
Julio Rodriguez doubled and homered, his first two extra-base hits of the season, and Cal Raleigh also went deep for the Mariners and drove in three runs.
Astros reliever Bryan Abreu (0-2) struck out Luke Raley leading off the ninth, then walked the bases loaded. Crawford, who went 2-for-3 with three RBIs, lined a 0-2 fastball to left field to plate the decisive run.
Mariners closer Andres Munoz (2-1) pitched a scoreless inning for the victory.
The Mariners jumped out to an early lead. Crawford, batting leadoff for a second straight night with Brendan Donovan out with an illness, drew a walk and Raleigh lined the next pitch into the right-field seats. Rodriguez followed by grounding a double down the third-base line.
With one out, Randy Arozarena hit a 102-mph liner back up the middle. Pitcher Lance McCullers Jr. raised his glove in a defensive motion and caught the ball, starting an inning-ending double play.
The Astros took the lead in the second, loading the bases on singles by Jose Altuve and Cam Smith sandwiched around a walk to Joey Loperfido.
Luis Castillo caught Yainer Diaz looking at a called third strike, courtesy of an ABS challenge, for the second out. Former Mariner Taylor Trammell came through with a bases-clearing double off the wall in left-center field in his first at-bat of the season to make it 3-2.
The Astros scored three more runs in the third. Yordan Alvarez led off with a homer to right-center. With two outs, Carlos Correa lined a single to center and Loperfido doubled down the right-field line before Smith capped a 13-pitch at-bat by lining a two-run single to center.
Houston tallied again in the fourth. Trammell and Jeremy Pena led off with singles and, an out later, Isaac Paredes grounded a run-scoring single to left, ending Castillo’s night.
Castillo lasted just 3 1/3 innings, giving up seven runs on 10 hits. The right-hander walked one and fanned three.
McCullers retired 12 consecutive batters starting with his first-inning escape before running into trouble in the fifth.
With one out, Cole Young singled, Dominic Canzone doubled and Leo Rivas walked, loading the bases. Crawford lined a two-run single to center, chasing McCullers.
Reliever Steven Okert got Raleigh to hit a broken-bat liner to left, deep enough for a sacrifice fly. Rodriguez then hammered a 1-2 fastball 426 feet over the wall in straightaway center field, tying the score at 7.
McCullers was charged with six runs on five hits in 4 1/3 innings. The righty walked two and struck out four.
Pena, the Astros’ shortstop, left in the middle of the fourth inning with what the team called right posterior knee tightness. He was replaced by Nick Allen.
–Field Level Media
