Field Level Media
Aug 21, 2018
Robinson Cano hit a tiebreaking, three-run homer in the eighth inning, giving the Seattle Mariners a 7-4 victory against the visiting Houston Astros on Monday night at Safeco Field.
With the loss, the Astros fell into a tie for first place in the American League West with the Oakland A's, who beat the Texas Rangers 9-0 on Monday night.
Cano hit his fifth home run of the season and first since returning last week from an 80-game suspension for performance-enhancing drugs. It came off Houston right-hander Collin McHugh (5-2). Cano added a pair of doubles, going 3-for-5 with two runs.
Alex Colome (4-5) got the win, and Edwin Diaz pitched the ninth for his major-league-leading 48th save.
The Mariners' rally from a 4-2 deficit spoiled a big night by Houston's Marwin Gonzalez, who went 3-for-4 with a double, a home run and three RBIs.
After Gonzalez homered in the first, his 12th, the Mariners took a 2-1 in the bottom of the inning. Mitch Haniger led off with a single and advanced to third on Cano's first double. Haniger scored on a throwing error by Houston shortstop Carlos Correa. Cano moved to third on a wild pitch and came home on a sacrifice fly by Denard Span.
The Astros regained the lead in the third. Tony Kemp walked, and Alex Bregman lined a single to left. Gonzalez followed with a two-run double to center field. Gonzalez took third on a single by Yuli Gurriel and scored on a wild pitch, making it 4-2.
Seattle got one run back in the fourth as Ben Gamel, just recalled from Triple-A Tacoma, led off with a single and scored on Mike Zunino's double to left.
The Mariners pulled even in the sixth. Gamel led off with a ground-rule double to center off left-hander reliever Tony Sipp. After Zunino flied out to left, Gamel reached third as Dee Gordon grounded out. Astros manager A.J. Hinch brought on right-hander Ryan Pressly to face Haniger, but the All-Star outfielder hit a sharp grounder back up the middle to tie the score at 4-4.
Astros right-hander Gerrit Cole pitched five innings and allowed three runs (two earned) on seven hits. Cole walked two and struck out seven.
Mariners right-hander Felix Hernandez, making his return to the rotation with staff ace James Paxton on the 10-day disabled list, went six innings and allowed four runs on five hits. He walked two and struck out six.
Astros outfielder George Springer was a late scratch from the starting lineup because of a sore left quadriceps.
--Field Level Media