The Sports Xchange
Jul 18, 2017
HOUSTON -- Evan Gattis belted two home runs and Brad Peacock produced the best start of his career as the Houston Astros beat the Seattle Mariners 6-2 on Tuesday night at Minute Maid Park.
Gattis socked both homers, his ninth and 10th on the season, off Mariners right-hander Sam Gaviglio (3-5). His two-out blast in the sixth ended a bit of a roll for Gaviglio, who had retired five consecutive batters before Gattis smashed a 3-2 curveball 407 feet out to left-center field.
Jose Altuve finished 3-for-4 with an RBI for the Astros (63-31). Every starter excluding first baseman Yuli Gurriel reached base at least once.
Peacock (8-1) extended his winning streak to five consecutive starts, limiting the Mariners (47-48) to one run on three hits and one walk over a season-high seven innings. Peacock recorded nine strikeouts and essentially breezed through his start, retiring the Mariners in order in the first, second, fourth and seventh innings. Two of the three hits he allowed were infield singles.
The Astros created significant traffic in their first four at-bats, with their inefficiency on the base paths enabling Gaviglio to pitch deeper into his outing than seemed likely initially.
George Springer, who scored in the first on a Yuli Gurriel sacrifice fly after being hit by a pitch, hit into a double play in the second to erase Alex Bregman, who walked two batters after Gattis' leadoff home run.
Springer was the final out again in the fourth, being erased as he tried to swipe third base immediately after his two-out, two-strike double scored Norichika Aoki for a 4-0 Astros lead.
The Astros squandered a golden scoring opportunity in the second when Josh Reddick was out at third base to complete a double play that ended the frame. Reddick tagged from second base on a fly ball to Seattle center fielder Jarrod Dyson, and was tagged out by Kyle Seager before Altuve touched home plate.
NOTES: Astros SS Carlos Correa was placed on the 10-day disabled list and will miss 6-to-8 weeks with a torn ligament in his left thumb. Correa sustained the injury on a swing in his second at-bat during the fourth inning Monday night. He will undergo surgery at a later date. The Astros recalled INF Colin Moran from Triple-A Fresno to fill the roster void. ... To make room for RHP Sam Gaviglio, who was recalled from Triple-A Tacoma to start Tuesday, the Mariners optioned OF Boog Powell. Powell was in his third stint with the Mariners this season and appeared in three games following his recall July 2. Powell has hit .194 in 23 games with Seattle. ... Astros RHP Collin McHugh will make his season debut Saturday in Baltimore. To accommodate McHugh, who had been sidelined with a posterior impingement in his elbow, RHP Joe Musgrove was moved to the bullpen.