Cascade of Astros Hits Drowns Mariners 11-2

The last two times the Astros played the Mariners the Stros failed to score even one run. They lost one of those games 1-0.

Maybe if they had managed to scatter a few of the 11 runs they scored tonight, or the 14 hits, or the six extra-base hits, or the six hits with runners in scoring position...

You know what I mean. But.

Baseball.

And it’s what keeps us coming back. As painful as the last road trip was, we knew the good times would roll once again.

The Astros were high rollers tonight.

Especially in the second inning.

It started with three consecutive walks by starter Yusei Kikuchi to Carlos Correa, Yuli Gurriel, and Kyle Tucker.

Aledmys Diaz later plated two runs on a tricky grounder to second baseman Abraham Toro that was ruled an error.

Then mighty Jake Meyers pretty much iced the game right there with a 400-foot, three-run homer.

With one out Jose Altuve doubled and came home on a two-out Yordan Alvarez double to deep center.

The Astros piled on in the fifth with two more runs. Yuli Gurriel opened the frame with a single, followed by a Kyle Tucker double, which ricocheted off the tip of Toro’s glove into shallow right field allowing Tucker to take two bags.

With one out Meyers hit a bloop single to center, scoring Gurriel, and Altuve plated Tucker on a grounder to third that was ruled an error by the perfectionist at the scoring table.

The Astros added three in the sixth on a Carlos Correa lead-off double, a Yuli Gurriel single, a two-run Tucker double, and an Alex Bregman single.

Guess who had both RBI for the Mariners?

Abraham Toro, of course with a double in the third. In his last three games against the Astros he has knocked in seven runs. Tonight he was 2 for 3. But one of his weaknesses as a player came out tonight as well. His error on the Diaz grounder led to the cascade that drowned the Mariners. And the double by Tucker was catchable, albeit it would have been a highlight-reel play.

Oh yeah, the pitching was pretty good too.

Lance McCullers went six innings, allowing two runs, four hits, four walks, and seven strikeouts.

Brandon Bielak went three scoreless, with the help of two double plays, including one to end the game.

Good to see Yordan Alvarez make a running catch in left field,

1. Because he can run after that horrible incident at the plate Saturday night.
2. Because it’s good to see he can run, chew bubble gum, and catch a ball in the outfield all at the same time

And, he got an outfield assist, throwing out Ty France at second trying for what looked like an easy double.

And Marwin is back.

Tomorrow Jake Odorizzi tries to get a streak started for the Astros at 7:10 CDT.

Box Score and videos HERE