Astros vs. Mariners summary online, scores, stats and highlights
Astros 2-6 Mariners
Seattle win on George Kirby brilliance
The Mariners really needed that win. It can not be emphasized enough how badly. A loss would have left them dangerously adrift of the Wild Card spots, with only a handful of games left to go in the season.
After yesterday, Seattle would have felt that they needed something emphatic, not only to break Houston but to boost their own sense of being able to overcome this obstacle.
And that is just what they did: they won emphatically.
The Astros, for their part, looked much like the embodiment of their own late-season woes. Brilliant yesterday, hapless today. Nothing seemed to come together for Houston. They loaded the bases with no outs in the first inning and came away with nothing. They did it again in the seventh and came out with only one run. Time and again, they stranded runners, hit into routiine outs, and just looked a team who could not win for losing.
By contrast, Seattle had the Midas touch. Twice they scored on throwiing errors at third base. Alex Bregman could not field cleanly. Throws went wild. And all the while, the Mariners stood by and reaped the rewards.
In game one, Justin Verlander threw a gem of a game. Today, it was the turn of George Kirby to dazzle from the mound. Surrendering his first career intentional walk, Kirby worked the long angle and got out of trouble. Again and again. In the end, he threw six complete innings, giving up five hits and no runs as he stumped the Astros all night.
This win by Seattle blows the doors off the Wild Card race. They are now only half a game behind Houston and could conceivably catch even Toronto. But in order to do that, the Mariners will have to win tomorrow as well as sweep the Rangers. So it is a difficult ask.
Houston on the other hand, need a win more than ever. They need it against Seattle tomorrow, and they need to win the series, and possibly even sweep, against the Nationals. None of this is a tap in.
One thing is certain however, and that is that tomorrow's game is a must-watch for all baseball fans. It is only just heating up.
Goodbye!
That is going to do it for our live coverage of the Astros vs Mariners. We hope that you enjoyed it as much as we did! Keep abreast of all MLB and sports news with Diario AS USA and stick with us as we bring you the full playoff season live. We will return on Friday evening for Seattle vs Texas. Until then, good night and God bless!
Mariners win!
Yordan Álvarez comes up with men on first and second and two outs. He lines one sharply to center field and Julio Rodriguez makes the catch to end the game. Seattle win!
Alex Bregman now up at the plate and grounds one to third. Eugenio Suarez is tagged out at third and the throw across to first is called out to end the inning. The Astros challenge the call and it is overturnes. Bregman clearly beat the throw. Houston will have one more bite at the apple.
Houston score
Jose Altuve singles on a line drive to right field. Grae Kessinger scores and Mauricio Dubon advances to 2nd. Houston claw one back and it is now 6-2
Ryne Stanek will be pinch hit for and Mauricio Dubon gets the call. Dubon grounds one to shortstop and Crawford goes to second to get Peña and that is it. So men on the corners and one out.
Jeremy Pena comes up and singles on a line drive to right fielder Teoscar Hernandez. Grae Kessinger moves up to 2nd.
Top 9th
Chas McCormick will lead off for Houston and is immediately plunked in the back by Munoz. He is clearly injured and Grae Kessinger will come on to pinch run for Chas McCormick.
Pitching change
Andres Munoz will replace Matt Brash on the mound for Seattle as Dominic Canzone takes over designated hitter duties.
Josh Rojas pops one up to shortstop and Jeremy Pena gets under it to end the inning.
HOME RUN SEATTLE!
Ty France comes up and gets on pitch, a middle-middle fastball, 98 mph, and he crushes it. A long line drive to straight away center for a home run! The Mariners lead 6-1
Dominic Canzone goes after three in a row and sits down on strikes. Two away.
Pinch hitter
Dominic Canzone will pinch hit for Dylan Moore.
Bottom 8th
Stanek does the job, facing Eugenio Suarez to lead off and coaxing him into a grounds out, slapping a shot to third for Alex Bregman to make the throw to first. One down.
Pitching change
The Astros will bring on Ryne Stanek to replace Phil Maton and try and shut down Seattle here in the eighth.
Yainer Diaz now comes up and whiffs on three straight pitches to end the inning.
Jose Abreu comes to the plate and gets in a quick 0-2 hole. He fouls off two before hitting a little tapper back to the mound. Brash makse the throw to first for the second out as Tucker advances to third.
Kyle Tucker now stands in and smashes a double to right field.
Top 8th
Yordan Álvarez comes up and hits a towering shot to center field. Back on the warning track, and Julio Rodriguez gets under it for the first out. Not quite enough.
Jarred Kelenic now comes to the plate and goes down swinging to end the inning.
Teoscar Hernandez stands in now and goes after a fastball away for strike three. Two down
Cal Raleigh comes to the plate and goes after the first pitch, slapping a single to right.
Bottom 7th
Julio Rodriguez leads off for Seattle and works a full count, eventually grounding one to first. Jose Abreu flips it to pitcher Phil Maton covering the bag for out number one.
Pitching change
Phil Maton takes over on the mound for Houston. With Maldonado out of the game, Yainer Diaz will take over behind the plate.
Alex Bregman throws his bat at the first pitch he sees, grounding to third. Eugenio Suarez goes to second to get Jeremy Pena and end the inning. So yet again, the Astros waste a golden opportunity, getting bases loaded with no outs and coming away with only 1 run to show for it.
Jose Altuve will now head up the the plate with one down and men on first and second.
He shatters his bat on a foul ball. The bat landed at short stop. Yikes!
The count works to 2-2 before a peach of a back door slider catches the inside edge for strike three.
Astros score
John Singleton is 1 for 9 as a pinch hitter this season and he takes a called strike one. The next pitch misses low and is followed up by a long fly ball to right field. Diaz is able to tag and score on the sac fly so the Astros are finally on the board.
Pitching change
That is going to be it from Justin Topa, it is just not his day. Matt Brash will get the call to try and get the Mariners out of this hole.
Pinch hitter
Martin Maldonado will take a seat as Dusty Baker calls on pinch-hitter Jon Singleton to try and produce some runs here.
Jeremy Peña will now come to the plate and gets ahead in the count 2-1 before ripping a single to center. The bases are now loaded with nobody out.
Chas McCormick will come to the plate now and rips a single through the gap to right. Diaz pulls up at second.
Top 7th
Yainer Diaz will lead off for Houston and the first delivery from Topa hits him directly on the left knee. Ouch! That is a nasty one.
Pitching change
George Kirby has had an outstanding evening, but now gives way to Justin Topa.
JP Crawford now stands in and works the count full before he swings through a high slider to end the inning.
Josh Rojas comes up and jumps on the first pitch, hitting a ground ball to second. Jose Altuve makes the throw to first baseman Jose Abreu for out number two.
Bottom 6th
Ty France will lead off and he hits a fly ball out to center. Chas McCormick is under it and puts it away.
Jose Abreu now will come up with two out and men on first and second. The Mariners have movement in their bullpen, but it isn't needed just yet, as Abreu grounds one to first. Ty France fields it and steps on the bag to end the inning. The Astros strand two and are still trailing 5-0 after six.
Kyle Tucker now comes up and hits a sharp ground ball toward second. Rojas dives for it and slaps it down but it is too far out of reach to make a play. Altuve is in at second and Tucker safe at first.
Yordan Álvarez now comes up with one on and one out. Kirby blows fastball after fastball past him until he chases number three up in the zone for out number two.
Alex Bregman tries the same trick and blasts a bomb to right center. Teoscar hernandez makes a leaping catch at the wall! That robbed extra bases for sure!
Altuve has to go back to first.
Top 6th
Jose Altuve will lead off for Houston and as is his wont, he jumps on the very first pitch, ripping it for a leadoff single to left.
Moore gets a steady diet of fastballs and goes down swinging to end the inning, but my oh my what an inning it was! The Mariners tack on three more and are off and running. They lead the Astros 5-0!
Pinch hitter
With the new pitcher, Seattle will pinch-hit Dylan Moore for Mike Ford.
Pitching change
Dusty Baker makes the walk out to the mound and that will do it for Montero. His work was short and it wasn't his day, so Bennett Sousa will get the call to try and get Houston out of this jam.
Eugenio Suarez comes to the plate and works the count full. The payoff misses high and Montero has walked the bases full!
Jarred Kelenic up to the plate now and puts one where they ain't, dropping a shot into the gap in center field for a single. Hernandez moves to third and the Mariners are on a romp at the moment! Runners at the corners, two outs and up 5-0!
Mariners score
Teoscar Hernandez singles on a ground ball to left fielder Yordan Alvarez. Cal Raleigh scores!
Mariners score
Cal Raleigh will come out to face the new pitcher and the first three pitches miss, taking the count to 3-0.
Raleigh bloops a broken bat single to shallow right field! Rojas scores. The throw from Tucker gets past Bregman and into the dugout. Rodriguez scores. Raleigh gets thrid on the throwing error. The wheels are falling off for Houston!
Pitching change
Rafael Montero will be called for to come out of the Astros bullpen and take over.
Julio Rodriguez now comes up with two down and a runner in scoring position, looking to stretch this Mariners lead.
He shows restraint and doesn't chase the high heat, drawing the walk. Dusty Baker comes out and that is going to be it for Cristian Javier.
Crawford's count works to 3-2 as Javier misses with a fastball high. Javier goes right back to that spot with the payoff pitch and this time Crawford bites, swinging through strike three. Two away
Stolen base
JP Crawford now comes up and Rojas takes off for second. Maldonado's throw is off line and he is in with a stolen base.
Josh Rojas now comes up and works the count full before lining a shot to left field for a single
Javier attacks the strike zone with a barrage of four seam fastballs and France goes down swinging for out number one
Bottom 5th
Ty France will lead off the inning for Seattle and Javier seems to have settled down now two innings after his predicted demise. He is still getting the job done and keeping the Mariners from stretching that lead any further.
Maldonado is in a hole now and although he gamely fouls three pitches back, Kirby comes back with that high fastball and gets him to chase it for strike three.
Peña caught stealing
Peña takes off for second and Maldonado does his best to protect him by swinging at a high fastball. It was an unofficial pitch out and Raleigh's throw is too good, getting Peña by a mile.
Martín Maldonado will come to the plate now with a runner at first and one out.
Jeremy Pena comes up now and gets a hanging sinker, which he duly slaps to right field for a one out single.
Top 5th
Chas McCormick leads off for the Astros in the fifth and hits a slow roller to third. Eugenio Suarez to first baseman Ty France for out number one.
Double play
Mike Ford comes up and lines a shot into right field. Kyle Tucker makes an incredible diving catch and I don't think that Jarred Kelenic realized that he caught it! The throw to first gets the double play to end the inning.
Eugenio Suarez comes up with a runner on first and gets a 3-1 fastball, which he pops high into shallow right field. Kyle Tucker makes the catch and Suarez has to be kicking himself.
Bottom 4th
Jarred Kelenic jumps on the first pitch ad hits a sharp ground ball to third. A fielding error by third baseman Alex Bregman! There's something you don't see every day. Bregman is one of the best defensive third basemen in baseball. But this one just skipped off the heel of his glove and popped high into the air, leaving no chance for a play at first.
If you are an Astros fan you have to feel like when it rains, it pours!
Yainer Diaz comes to the plate now with two out and goes down swinging at a high slider. The Astros go 1-2-3
Jose Abreu comes up now and hits a broken bat roller to short. Crawford fields it and makes the throw to first for the second out.
Tucker is patient, laying off the junk that follows and lines a sinker sharply to second, but directly to the glove of Rojas. One away
Top 4th
Kyle Tucker will lead off the fourth here for Houston an Kirby goes to work on him quickly, jumping out front 0-2.
Teoscar Hernandez now stands in and the count works to 2-2 before Javier gets him swinging at strike three on a lovely breaking ball. That ends the inning, with two runners stranded, but the Mariners get busy and put runs on the board, ending the third inning leading the Astros by 2 runs to 0
Cal Raleigh comes up now and Javier sends him to first, losing him on four balls. That may be close to the end of the evening for the Astros pitcher, as pitching coach comes out to settle his man down. There is nobody up in the bullpen, which may be the only thing saving Javier at the moment.
As the mound visit is taking place, Phil Maton gets up and starts loosening up.
Mariners score
Julio Rodriguez comes up and hits a deep fly ball to left for Yordan Alvarez. It is deep enough for Ty France to score on the sac fly and Crawford advances to second.
J.P. Crawford will now come to the plate with Ty France on third and one out. Four straight balls gives him a free pass.
Mariners score
Josh Rojas will come to the plate now and gets nothing but high heat. All three miss and the count is 3-0. Javier fights back and levels the count at 3-2 before the payoff is cranked to deep right field! Kyle Tucker makes a leaping catch at the wall!
The runners tag up and Tucker's throw to third is cutoff by Altuve, who throws the ball over Bregman's head and into the dugout. The runner's all advance one base on the throwing error and the Mariners are on the board.
France loops one into right field, falling in for a single. Ford wisely holds up at second and the Mariners now have the first two runners on and nobody out.
Ty France will head up to the plate now and see if he can do something with Seattle's first base runner of the evening.
Mike Ford gets ahold of a four seamer and rips it through the gap to right field for a leadoff single.
Bottom 3rd
The bottom of the Mariners order will be up now as Javier will face Mike Ford, Ty France, and Josh Rojas.
Yordan Alvarez jumps on a fastball early and sends one deep to center but Julio Rodriguez is there to make th play and end the inning.
Alex Bregman gets ahold of a good fastball, ripping it hard down the third base line, but Eugenio Suarez is shading that way. He makes the stop and throws to first baseman Ty France for the second out.
Top 3rd
Jose Altuve leads off for Houston and jumps on the first pitch, popping one up to second. Josh Rojas puts it away for the first out.
Eugenio Suarez comes to the plate now and works the count full. The payoff pitch is a beautiful fastball on the outside edge and Suarez can't catch up with it, swinging through it for strike three.
Jarred Kelenic now heads up and grounds a low change up to second. Jose Altuve fields it, makes the throw to first for out number two.
Bottom 2nd
Teoscar Hernandez leads off for Seattle and jumps on the first pitch he sees, lining one to short but directly at Jeremy Peña. One away
Martín Maldonado now stands in with two out for the Astros. He hits a nubber to third base and Suarez makes the throw across the diamond to end the inning.
Jeremy Peña now heads to the plate and works the count to 2-2 before a peach of a fastball worked it's way back in to the outside edge for a called strike three. Two gone, just like that.
Top 2nd
Chas McCormick leads off for Houston here in the second and he jumps on the first delivery from Kirby, rolling it to short. Crawford makes the throw to first for out number one.
Seattle catcher Cal Raleigh will now comoe up and he hits a towering popup to the right side, on the infield dirt. Jose Altuve camps out under it and puts it away to end the inning. Nothing doing for either team as we move to two.
Julio Rodriguez now comes to the plate and Javier attacks the zone with another fastball for a strike. Rodriguez fouls two off before watching a pair of sliders miss low to take the count to 3-2.
The payoff pitch is cranked a country mile to left, but hooks foul. We'll do it again!
Once more with the payoff and this time Javier blows a high fastball past Rodriguez for strike three. Two down.
Javier comes straight at Crawford with four fastballs in a row. Three of them are in for strikes and the Mariners short stop takes a seat. One away.
Bottom 1st
Cristian Javier will take charge on the mound for Houston now and will face JP Crawford to lead things off for Seattle.
Yainer Diaz comes up now for Houston and the bases are still loaded, but now with two outs. Kirby is throwing him outside and Diaz is dutifully fouling them off. Eventually, he reaches out and taps a slow roller to short. JP Crawford makes the play at first and the Mariners dodge a huge bullet in the first inning. The Astros strand three for no gain.
Jose Abreu comes up with one out and bases loaded. He plops a chopper to third and Eugenio Suarez charges it, making the throw to the plate. Even the speedy Altuve can't beat this one and the Mariners get the force out at home. Two down.
Kyle Tucker will now see if he can bring those runners in for Houston. After falling behind in the count 3-0, Geroge Kirby elects to intentionally walk Tucker and take his chances with the forced double play.
Yordan Álvarez will come up now and immediately falls behind 0-2 before yanking one toward right, but directly at the second baseman Rojas who was shading that way. The runners were too quick for the double so the only play is to first. Rojas makes the throw to France for the out, but both base runners move up 90 feet.
Alex Bregman now comes to the plate and rips one into the gap between third and short for a single. Altuve advances to second on the play. Nobody out and the first two hitters on base.
After working the count to 2-2, Altuve slaps one between first and second which sees the speedy Astros second baseman beat out the throw from Josh Rojas. Kirby was covering the bag and simply could not outrun Altuve.
First pitch
Jose Altuve is ready and so is George Kirby. The windup, the pitch a 97 mph fastball that misses inside, and we are off!
We are less than 5 minutes from first pitch here in Seattle and both teams are warming up. This will be one of the best games in the league and the local crowd is well aware of it, with the faithful already filing in and taking their seats.
As September comes to a close, Major League teams are clinching playoff spots. Here's a rundown of who has secured a berth and who is out of contention.
We look at the playoff picture right here.
LINEUPS
The Home Team
Mariners Batting Order
1. Crawford (SS)
2. Rodríguez (CF)
3. Raleigh (C)
4. Hernández (RF)
5. Kelenic (LF)
6. Suárez (3B)
7. Ford (DH)
8. France (1B)
9. Rojas (2B)
The Visitors
Astros Batting Order
1. Altuve (2B)
2. Bregman (3B)
3. Álvarez (LF)
3. Tucker (RF)
5. Abreu (1B)
6. Diaz (DH)
7. McCormick (CF)
2. Peña (SS)
9. Maldonado (C)
STARTING PITCHERS
HOUSTON ASTROS
Cristian Javier (RHP)
9 - 4
4.64 ERA
149 K
151.1 IP
SEATTLE MARINERS
George Kirby (RHP)
11 - 10
3.58 ERA
161 K
178.2 IP
PITCHING
On the mound, the Astros will lay their trust in Cristian Javier, who has had a much better season than his recent form would suggest. As close to lights out as can be imagined over the past two seasons, Javier has been to the big show and shined at the job, but lately is just oozing home runs. A double whammy, nearly all of these big blasts have happened on the road.
Across those base lines, the Mariners will call on George Kirby to get the job done. One of the best control pitchers in the game, his youth and inexperience have seen him unduly pushed up against a wall. Like his counterpart in Houston, Kirby is better than his stats suggest, with most of his losses coming from an ice-cold offence’s failure to produce, but his attitude and work ethic are under intense scrutiny after a public statement that he “didn’t want to be out there” on the mound.
WELCOME!!!
Welcome to the Diario AS USA live commentary of game two of the three-game series between the Houston Astros and Seattle Mariners as the Wild Card race comes down to the wire.
We are ramping up into the final days of the regular season and will hit the ground running with full coverage of the MLB post season as the battle to get to a 2023 World Series champion heats up.
What a difference a week makes! Just seven days ago, the Houston Astros were sitting on top of the AL West and the Seattle Mariners were feeling good about their chances of overtaking a Texas Rangers team that looked all out of shape.
And then the Mariners were swept in Arlington by that same Rangers team who inexplicably seemed to find some life left in themselves from somewhere. And as if to put an exclamation point on this, the Astros inexplicably collapsed.
In just one week, the Astros fell from a 2.5 game lead to a 2.5 game deficit in a spectacular free fall.
The Astros needed a miracle to stop this hemorrhage and the got one in the form of Old Faithful, Justin Verlander. The prodigal son put up a sparkling diamond of an outing in game one of the series that stymied the Mariners in a much-needed 5-1 win.
For Seattle, being swept by Texas saw them tumble from neck-and-neck at just half a game back to now 1.5 games adrift of the third Wild Card spot.
With another series against the Rangers awaiting them, the Mariners must feel that their best bet is to gain ground on Houston now. Taking the series would see them go a long way toward keeping their playoff hopes alive.