M’s swept: Altuve homers on first pitch, Astros roll to 8-5 win in series finale

When Jose Altuve drove the first pitch of Sunday’s series finale at T-Mobile Park into the upper deck in left field — above both the ‘Edgar’s Cantina’ sign and manual scoreboard perched underneath — the perpetual chorus of boos directed toward the All-Star second baseman upon his introduction had yet to quiet.

Never afraid to swing at the first pitch, Houston’s everyday leadoff hitter found a 93-mph sinker over the plate, courtesy of Seattle starter Robbie Ray. The pitch rocketed off Altuve’s bat at 106 mph, landing some three rows up the bleachers, and Houston had jumped to an early lead likely before many of some 34,827 in attendance could settle in their seats.

Shortly after the commotion from Altuve’s first-pitch homer settled, rookie shortstop Jeremy Pena launched another.

Houston had blasted back-to-back homers to start the game. Of Ray’s first seven pitches, two were outfield souvenirs.

“It was just one of those days where it didn’t go my way,” Ray said at T-Mobile Park. “You never want to get swept by a team.

“We’ve just got to look forward to the next one.”

Kyle Tucker, another Astros All-Star, followed with a single to center field for Houston’s third consecutive hit of the game. Ray capped the first-inning damage at two runs, but Houston rolled to an 8-5 win, sweeping the once-red-hot Mariners in the team’s first series after the All-Star break two days after ending their 14-game winning streak.

“We got beat,” said manager Scott Servais. “They executed, they made pitches, they made plays, they got timely hits. That’s why they swept the series.”

Houston clocked another five hits before Ray could generate a single out in the second inning, requiring Servais to make an earlier-than-expected call to the bullpen. Reliever Penn Murfee began warming up, and Ray, who had posted a 1.36 ERA with 11 walks and 58 across his previous seven starts, needed 49 pitches to navigate his first pair of innings.

Before Ray faced Pena again in the second — his 11th batter of Sunday’s contest — Houston had eight hits. The reigning American League Cy Young Award winner entered to pitch the third inning, but immediately surrendered a line-drive, stand-up double to Yuli Gurriel to lead off the frame. Aledmys Diaz followed with a hard-hit single and Houston’s offense kept its figurative foot on the gas pedal.

When Chas McCormick plated Gurriel with a run-scoring fielder’s choice in the third inning, Houston’s lead had ballooned to 6-0.

“They were on him,” Servais said of Ray, who hadn’t lasted three innings or less in a start since 2019. “They were very, very aggressive.”

“It’s just baseball,” Ray added. “It happens.”

Leading off the bottom of the second, Jesse Winker suffered a right ankle sprain after colliding with Houston’s Pena on the first base line, and Seattle’s left fielder later exited the game in the fourth. Pena charged Winker’s softly-chopped grounder near second base, and was unable to slow his momentum before Winker stepped on the shortstop’s foot and fell to the ground.

“It’s like you roll your ankle playing basketball. It’s not that big of a deal,” Winker said in Seattle’s clubhouse after the game. “We’ll see how it feels tomorrow. As long as it loosens up tomorrow, I’ll be good to go.

“I would’ve been good if I didn’t step on his foot, which is the unfortunate part. It was an accident. No one’s trying to collide on that play, obviously. Thankfully, both players are OK. He’s a well-built man. Never fun to run into anybody like that.”

Astros starter Framber Valdez, also an All-Star in 2022, dazzled across seven innings, silencing the Mariners offense for much of Sunday’s matinee and whiffing eight in his first appearance out of the break. Of the left-hander’s five-pitch arsenal, Valdez generated a game-high 16 swings-and-misses and faced the minimum in both the third and fourth frames.

Murfee twirled a perfect pair of frames in the fourth and fifth, striking out four of six batters faced. Seattle’s Tommy Milone pitched a scoreless sixth inning and faced the minimum in the seventh.

Dylan Moore singled in the fifth and Ty France singled in the sixth, but Seattle wouldn’t muster an extra-base hit until Sam Haggerty rolled a two-out triple to the center field wall in the seventh inning, plating a pair of runs.

Seattle still trailed, 6-2, but a healthy crowd woke from a six-inning-long nap to witness the comeback effort.

J.P. Crawford followed Haggerty’s triple by squeaking a double beyond the reach of first baseman Gurriel, scoring another and closing the deficit to three. The late-game surge ended Valdez’s start, but Seth Martinez entered and struck out Ty France to end the rally.

Servais turned to reliever Matt Festa after Milone loaded the bases with one out in the eighth, and Festa induced a shallow fly ball for the second out before Martin Maldonado dumped a bloop single into left field, scoring two runs.

Seattle’s deficit was, once again, five — but not for long.

With Kyle Lewis at first, Abraham Toro found a 2-1 fastball over the plate, crushing it to right field for a two-run homer in the eighth inning. When pinch-hitter Carlos Santana followed with a walk, Astros manager Dusty Baker Jr. turned to former Mariner Rafael Montero, who escaped with a strikeout of Haggerty.

Andres Munoz tossed a perfect ninth frame, whiffing one, before Seattle’s offense went quietly in order to end the game.

“We’ve got to move forward,” Servais said. “We have to wash this one away as quick as we can.”

All-Star center fielder Julio Rodriguez missed his third consecutive game Sunday with wrist soreness after jamming it on a slide attempt at second base last weekend in Texas. The 21-year-old was sore after Monday’s Home Run Derby, but “feels better” on Sunday after an MRI Saturday.

“It’s nothing that we think is going to keep him out for a long time,” Servais said.

Servais’ fingers are crossed that the rookie could be available for Monday night’s series opener against the Rangers. It’s possible the Mariners place Rodriguez on the injured list retroactive to Friday night, but that decision has yet to be determined.

If not placed on the injured list, Rodriguez still won’t appear as a defensive replacement, as much as Servais would like to, saying jokingly: “I’ll stay disciplined and not go there.”

“There’s no question. You do want to be cautious with it,” Servais said. “And also, you have to listen to the player, trust the player. Even though (he is) young, nobody knows Julio’s body better than Julio.”