Astros hit 2 grand slams, snap M’s win streak
Published 1:30 am Friday, April 12, 2019
Associated Press
SEATTLE — Jose Altuve and Yuli Gurriel hit grand slams and the Houston Astros limited heavy-hitting Seattle by using two starting pitchers in a 10-6 win over the Mariners on Friday night.
Altuve’s career-best fourth straight game with a home run pushed the Astros’ major league-leading winning streak to seven games.
The combination of starter Wade Miley, a former Mariners pitcher, and Brad Peacock (2-0) helped Houston hold down Seattle’s muscular lineup.
But, Tom Murphy managed to extend the Mariners’ major league record home run streak. Seattle has homered in each of its first 16 games, with a ninth-inning solo shot off reliever Chris Devenski.
The Mariners, who entered the game with a six-game winning streak, appeared to be up to the tricks that have helped them to the major league’s best record three weeks into the season, jumping on Miley early. They forced him to throw 41 pitches in the first inning, taking a 1-0 lead on Tim Beckham’s RBI single. Domingo Santana’s two-RBI single extended the lead to 3-0 in the second.
From there, though, Miley tightened things up through the fourth inning, when he was pulled for Peacock. The right-hander began the season as a starter, taking two turns through the rotation before being moved to the bullpen during a stretch in which manager AJ Hinch plans to use four starters due to a fortuitous run of days off.
Miley and Peacock combined to pitch 7 1/3 innings, giving up seven hits with nine strikeouts and two walks. They held the Mariners hitless for four innings, a stretch of 14 batters with just one baserunner, who reached on a walk. Roberto Osuna earned the save.
Seattle starter Wade LeBlanc threw two bad pitches, giving up a double to Josh Reddick, then a two-run homer to George Springer in the third inning, cutting the lead to 3-2. He steadied himself but injured his right oblique while throwing a pitch in the fifth inning and was replaced with two runners on base.
Mariners reliever Shawn Armstrong (0-1) got out of the jam in the fifth in his first appearance of the season following an injury rehab assignment, stranding both runners. He gave up two weak singles to start the sixth, struck out a batter, then watched as Springer’s sharply hit liner bounced out of leaping second baseman Dee Gordon’s glove to load the bases.
Altuve then hit his sixth home run of the season deep to left field. It was the second grand slam of the second baseman’s career.
Gurriel, filling in for injured third baseman Alex Bregman, added four more runs in the eighth with his left-field shot off Ruben Alaniz in his first major league appearance.
