Mariners 6, Astros 3
SEATTLE -- The Seattle Mariners hit three home runs off Houston starter Dallas Keuchel to beat the Astros 6-3 on Saturday night.
Right fielder Nelson Cruz, left fielder Seth Smith and designated hitter Mark Trumbo each hit a solo homer off Keuchel, who had allowed only four homers all season, to lift the Mariners (32-37) to their second consecutive win while closing the gap in the American League West standings.
Keuchel (8-3) gave up season highs of five runs, four walks and three home runs in the loss. All four of his walks came in the second inning, during which he walked in two runs to give up an early 2-0 lead.
Seattle starter Taijuan Walker (5-6) gave up a pair of solo homers but not much else in 6 1/3 innings. He allowed five hits and three runs while striking out 11.
Mariners starting pitchers had 21 strikeouts and no walks in the first two games of the series with Houston (40-30).
Designated hitter Evan Gattis and third baseman Luis Valbuena each homered for the Astros, while second baseman Marwin Gonzalez added an RBI single in the seventh to close the gap to 5-3.
Seattle second baseman Robinson Cano got the run back with an RBI single in the bottom of the seventh.
Houston threatened again with back-to-back, one-out singles in the eighth, but Mariners fill-in closer Carson Smith came on and got Seattle out of that jam before pitching a scoreless ninth for his fifth save of the season.
Seattle's Cruz and Trumbo, who were facing Keuchel for the first time as Mariners, have an impressive history against the Houston ace. After Saturday night's game, they are a combined 11 of 22 with four home runs off Keuchel.
Astros manager A.J. Hinch got ejected in between the top and bottom of the sixth inning as he argued a fan-interference call with third-base umpire Mike DiMuro. Hinch was upset that the Mariners were awarded the third out of the inning when a Seattle fan reached out for a fly ball in foul territory and kept Mariners shortstop Brad Miller from possibly making a spectacular catch.
The fan was removed from his seat shortly after Hinch was ejected.
Keuchel struggled through one of his worst starts of the season. He walked in two runs in the second inning and gave up solo homers in the third and fifth as the Astros fell behind 4-2.
Cruz ended a 22-game streak without a homer by hitting a third-inning solo shot that gave the Mariners a 3-2 lead. Cruz's 19th home run of the season was his first since May 27.
Astros left fielder Seth Smith added a fifth-inning home run off Keuchel.
Houston jumped out to a 2-0 lead on solo home runs from Gattis and Valbuena in the top of the second.
Gattis led off the inning with a 340-foot shot that barely cleared the fence in right field. Valbuena's homer traveled 386 feet to right.
Six of Valbeuna's 17 home runs this season are against the Mariners.
All four of Houston's runs during the first 11 innings of the series came on solo homers.
Keuchel breezed through the first inning but lost his command in the bottom of the second. Four walks, including back-to-back free passes with the bases loaded to drive in two runs, helped the Mariners tie the score 2-2.
NOTES: The Mariners announced a few hours before Saturday's game that hitting coach Howard Johnson had been reassigned within the organization. Former Mariners DH Edgar Martinez, now 52 years old after winning two American League batting titles with Seattle, was named as his replacement. Martinez's only experience as a coach is as a part-time roving hitting instructor at spring training. "I don't look at it as a new voice," Mariners general manager Jack Zduriencik said. "I look at it as a person who has a great degree of expertise." ... Houston 2B Jose Altuve (hamstring) was not in Saturday's lineup, marking the third day in a row he did not start. ... Astros starter Dallas Keuchel was facing Seattle for the first time this season after going 3-1 with a 2.17 ERA against the Mariners last year. ... Seattle RHP Hisashi Iwakuma, who has been on the disabled list since late April because of a strained latissimus dorsi muscle, was scheduled to make his first rehab start with Class A Everett on Saturday night.