Houston Astros regain control of AL West race with 7-0 win over Seattle Mariners

SEATTLE – Tuesday night unfolded in nearly ideal fashion for the Houston Astros. Their struggling lineup forged an early lead against an opposing starter. The club they are racing for the American League West lost, leaving them a path back to first place. They seized it with a stalwart bullpen performance.

But because these are this year’s Astros, and nothing is simple or straightforward, a critical victory came with a wrinkle. An injury concern to starter Cristian Javier led to their bullpen working seven innings in a 7-0 win over the Mariners, possibly altering their pitching plans at the start of the season’s final week.

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The result was still paramount. With their win, and the Rangers’ loss to the Mets, the Astros pulled back into a tie atop the AL West with Texas. Houston owns the tiebreaker between the clubs. With five games to play, the Astros again control their own playoff fate, even with a record of 78-79.

Christian Walker clubbed a three-run home run in the third inning that punctuated an early flurry against Seattle right-hander Logan Gilbert. Houston’s embattled lineup totaled 12 hits. Yordan Alvarez had two, a run-scoring single and a two-run home run. Isaac Paredes added a solo home run.

Protecting a lead fell to a string of relievers after Javier lasted just two innings due to a right groin issue. Miguel Ullola and Bennett Sousa formed a crucial bridge, combining to throw four scoreless innings. AJ Blubaugh worked a scoreless seventh with a five-run lead.

Alvarez’s two-run home run in the eighth, then, allowed manager Joe Espada to avoid using his top two leverage arms – an unexpected boon. Logan VanWey worked the final two innings, as both Bryan Abreu and Josh Hader rested on a night the Astros secured a win that felt mandatory.

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Five pitchers combined to hold the Mariners to four hits. Seattle took three at-bats with a man in scoring position and left nine runners on base.

Alvarez’s homer was his 41st this season, tied for most in the American League with Junior Caminero. He reached 102 RBIs, second in the AL after Pete Alonso, who has 108. Alvarez leads the league with a .314 batting average, still holding an outside chance at a Triple Crown.

His home run came one batter after Jeremy Peña was struck on the right arm by a 96.3 mph pitch. Peña stayed in to run the bases but was replaced on defense in the bottom of the inning. Nothing is simple or straightforward for these Astros, even as they again control their postseason hopes.

Astros pounce on Logan Gilbert

Houston’s offense entered with the second-fewest runs scored in the majors since the trade deadline. Gilbert had a 3.18 ERA in his 15 regular-season starts against the Astros. Their lineup jumped on him.

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Gilbert lasted four innings. He allowed 10 hits, a season high. Thirteen of 24 batters he faced reached base. Two walks and an error raised the total. Gilbert had induced a 30.5% whiff rate this season. He generated two whiffs on 27 swings his first two turns through the lineup, one on an unchecked bunt.

His first four batters singled. Alvarez’s scored Peña for the game’s first run. Two more loaded the bases with nobody out. Houston extracted nothing more from an opportunity. Yainer Diaz struck out. Walker and Trammell flied out.

Peña sharp double-play grounder pierced a budding rally in the second inning. But Walker delivered a redemptive swing in the third. Altuve and Diaz singled to begin the inning. Walker crushed a 1-0 slider for his 200th career home run, staking the Astros to a four-run lead.

Gilbert allowed nothing further. He generated nine whiffs from his final six batters, but the apparent adjustment arrived late. Seattle removed the right-hander after 81 pitches and four frames.

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Javier labored in his first two innings, throwing 45 pitches. But he navigated three baserunners without allowing a run, and the Astros forging a four-run lead in the third created a cushion. Ullola, still, started to warm in the top of the third and entered for the bottom of the inning.

The Astros subsequently said Javier was removed due to right groin tightness, a troubling development at the start of the season’s final week.

If the groin issue is serious, it could threaten Javier’s availability for the playoffs – if the Astros get there. Javier owns a 5.14 ERA but has shown recent signs of progress, posting a 2.20 ERA in his last three starts before Tuesday.

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More immediately, his exit created a heavy workload for the bullpen at the start of Houston’s defining final stretch. The Astros are already without injured relievers Steven Okert and Enyel De Los Santos. Javier’s exit could ripple across their pitching plans for the next five days with their season on the line.

Key outing by Miguel Ullola

In the wake of Javier’s exit, Ullola helped stabilize the game and preserve a four-run lead with six critical outs. The right-hander did so in just his ninth major-league appearance, and pressed into abrupt action, though a lengthy top of the third perhaps gave him more time to prepare.

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Ullola drew the top of Seattle’s lineup in the third and worked a scoreless frame, working around a hit-by-pitch of Randy Arozarena. Julio Rodríguez singled to open the fourth. Ullola set down his next three hitters, the final two by strikeout, winning an eight-pitch battle with Lazaro Montes as his last.

Ullola threw 33 pitches. How that might impact his availability going forward is unclear. Houston hasn’t named a starter for Wednesday, when Ethan Pecko is lined up to pitch. Ullola has served as the opener for Pecko in each of Pecko’s last two outings.

A milestone for Christian Walker

The wait for Walker to record his 200th home run was likely longer than he or the Astros hoped. Walker sat at 22 home runs at the end of July. He hit three across his next 43 games amid a prolonged slump.

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Walker batted .184 with a .528 OPS over that stretch, contributing to Houston’s offensive struggle since the trade deadline. He entered Tuesday with three hits across his last 35 at-bats, all singles.

His first at-bat produced a bases-loaded flyout to right field that was too shallow for Alvarez to tag from third, an unproductive swing in a huge spot. His second helped turn a game the Astros needed to win.

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This article originally published at Houston Astros regain control of AL West race with 7-0 win over Seattle Mariners.

Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: Sports.yahoo.com