Mariners dominate Astros 10-1 thanks to nine-run 4th inning

Mike Ford leads all batters with three hits and four RBI, as the Seattle Mariners win their second straight game at Minute Maid Park.

Yes, the Mariners are still a ballclub hovering around the .500 mark, as they have done all season. However, something just feels different about them now; more promising.

Following the series defeat to a poor Nationals team in what was perceived as an easy opportunity to rack up some wins, the season was at its lowest point. The Mariners response since then, has been as surprising as it has been impressive.

First up, Seattle took two out of three versus a Rays team with the best record in the Majors. They then followed this up, by also taking two out of three on the road against a Giants team in the thick of the playoff race.

Now, the Mariners have set themselves up to also win a series in Houston against their divisional rivals. This would be no small feat, considering how many issues they’ve had in recent years at Minute Maid Park.

Dating back to the beginning of the 2019 season, the Mariners are just 7-32 on the road versus the Astros. This includes losing two contests in last year’s playoff series.

However, that was then and this is now. More specifically, the Mariners followed a 5-1 win in the series opener by beating up on the Astros 10-1 on Friday night, to make it two-out-of-two in Houston this season.

Mariners break game wide open in the third

The game was tight early on, with the home side holding a slender 1-0 advantage through three. This all changed dramatically in the following inning, as the Mariners battered the Astros with nine runs.

It represented the most runs the Astros have given up in a single inning since at least 1974. It also all but put the game out of reach for the reigning World Series champion, who are now just 1-4 overall this year against the Mariners.

The beleaguered Kolten Wong hadn’t helped himself, after committing an error which resulted in the Astros’ run in the bottom of the third. He made up for it in the fourth however, by getting things rolling for Seattle with an RBI single to tie the game at 1-1.

• Mariners avoid potential disaster with All-Star Brendan Donovan
• STUDS and DUDS from Sounders’ 1-0 win over Dynamo FC
• Mariners waste strong Emerson Hancock start in 1-0 loss to Angels
• Sounders pull a classic “smash and grab” 1-0 win over Dynamos
• Mariners lean heavily on Bryan Woo in historic 3-1 win vs. Angels

The Mariners kept the momentum going, to load the bases for Julio Rodriguez. The two-time All Star subsequently hit a two-run single, to give the visitors a 3-1 lead.

Rodriguez has been on a tear of late, including starting July with a .394 batting average and .927 OPS through seven games. Mariners manager Scott Servais said:

“Julio has had an awesome couple of weeks. You start backtracking what he’s done here, certainly in the month of July but even before, you start to see him coming.”

The Mariners reloaded the bases and Cal Raleigh hit a single to make it 4-1. This was soon followed by Jarred Kelenic patiently forcing a walk, to bring Rodriguez home and increase the advantage to 5-1.

Big night for Ford

Even at this point, a team as talented as the Astros was still more than capable of getting back into the game. Mike Ford proceeded to remove any doubt, by hitting a bases-clearing double for three runs and a 8-1 lead.

Wong ended the scoring barrage with his second RBI of the night, and the Mariners found themselves up 9-1 halfway through the third inning. Ford would finish the scoring with a solo blast in the top of the ninth, to make it 10-1.

Ford lead all batters with three hits and four RBI, and discussed the mindset of the team postgame. He said:

“Our goal is to get the starter out early, and we’ve done a really good job of it (recently). The nights we’ve struggled, we haven’t done it. It’s just move the line, and we are doing a great job as a group. That’s what winning teams do.”

Ford continued, by further discussing the teamwork of the players. He said:

“We’ve kind of carried the mentality throughout the whole thing that the past few weeks the top of the lineup carries us one day, the bottom of the lineup might be hot the next day. It’s not just one person, it’s been a collective group and that’s the special part of it.”

Servais similarly lauded the overall effort of his players. He said:

“Good job up and down the lineup. I thought tonight was a good example of passing the baton, keeping the line moving. Our guys did a good job.”

Don’t forget about Castillo

Given how productive the lineup was, Luis Castillo was almost an afterthought. This doesn’t change the fact he had one of his best outings of the year.

Castillo matched a season high in going seven innings, giving up just five hits and one earned run in the process. He did also equal a season-low of three strikeouts, but balanced this by allowing no walks for the second straight start.

The three-time All-Star discussed how he was able to improve during the course of the game. Speaking through an interpreter he said:

“We noticed that they were making a lot of contact (early on), specifically on the fastball. So while our team was batting, me and the pitching coach had a conversation, and we were able to make some adjustments for the rest of the game.”

Servais was appreciative and impressed as always with Castillo. He said:

“From the fourth inning on, that’s vintage ‘Rock. The velocity was there, the movement on the pitches (was there).”

Certainly, Castillo felt a lot better after giving up seven hits and six runs in his previous start versus the Rays. He said:

“I just felt a little more confident having that big lead, going out there and just doing my job.”

Creeping up the standings

With the win, the Mariners improve to 44-43 and move to within 4.0 games of a wild card spot in the AL. They also now need just one win from the next two games, to guarantee a series win in Houston.

Not that Seattle would claim (or think) this will be easy. As the cautionary Servais said:

“We have to carry it over and do it again tomorrow. The last two nights we’ve had our All-Star pitchers on the mound and they have their All-Star pitcher going (Saturday).”

**********

Isaiah Campbell made his Major League debut on Friday night. He threw a clean eighth inning in just 13 pitches, including his first career strikeout.

Do you believe the Mariners have finally turned a corner and will now win more consistently moving forward? Or is this latest set of impressive results just another case of flattering to deceive? Let us know in the comments section below.

Support independent media. We are a reader-funded independent site. We appreciate your consideration.