Astros 6, Mariners 2
SEATTLE -- The Houston Astros piled up 10 hits, including home runs from center fielder Colby Rasmus and right fielder George Springer, to snap their two-game losing streak with a 6-2 win over the Seattle Mariners on Sunday afternoon.
Rasmus broke open a close game with a two-out, two-run shot off Seattle reliever Tom Wilhelmsen in the seventh inning, giving the Astros (41-30) a 5-2 lead. Springer added a solo shot to lead off the ninth.
Seven different Houston players had hits in the win, with Springer going 3-for-5 and Rasmus added a pair of hits on a day when the Astros used six pitchers. The Houston bullpen allowed only one hit over the final 5 2/3 innings, with reliever Will Harris (4-0) earning the win.
Houston starter Vince Velasquez, making just his third major league start, had early control problems and couldn't get past the fourth inning. He only allowed one run but needed 93 pitches to get through 3 1/3 innings, giving up two hits and four walks.
Seattle's J.A Happ had control problems of his own but was able to get through five innings with only two walks allowed. He gave up seven hits and three runs, two earned, while seeing his winless streak extend to eight games with the loss. The last time Happ (3-4) earned a win was on May 9, when he beat the A's 7-2.
The Mariners (32-38) had just four hits despite chasing Velasquez in the fourth.
With the win, and a Texas Rangers loss to Chicago, Houston padded its lead atop the American League West to 3 1/2 games. Seattle fell to 8 1/2 games behind the Astros.
Leadoff hits in each of the first two innings came around to score as the Astros took a 2-1 lead. Houston designated hitter Evan Gattis and third baseman Luis Valbuena each had an RBI single, scoring Springer and Rasmus. Springer led off the game with a single to extend his hitting streak to 14 games, then he came around to score for a 1-0 lead. After the Mariners tied the score in the bottom of the first, Rasmus led off the second inning with a double and scored on Valbuena's one-out single.
Velasquez needed 43 pitches just to get through a wild bottom of the first inning. He walked three batters and gave up an RBI single to Mariners designated hitter Nelson Cruz, but Velasquez was able to come out of it with the score tied 1-1.
The Astros added an unearned run when Seattle shortstop Brad Miller let a grounder go through his legs, allowing catcher Jason Castro to score, for a 3-1 lead in the fifth. Mariners second baseman Robinson Cano cut the deficit to 3-2 with a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the fifth before Rasmus broke the game open.
Rasmus, who came off the bereavement list Friday, went 2-for-4 with a double, a home run, two RBIs and two runs scored in the win. Springer went 5-for-12 in the series and is hitting .458 during his 14-game hitting streak -- the second-longest current streak in the American League (Jason Kipnis, 15 games).
NOTES: Houston 2B Jose Altuve (sore right hamstring) was not in the lineup Sunday, marking the fourth day in a row that he has rested the injury. ... Seattle RHP Hisashi Iwakuma came out of his first rehab start in good shape, and he is scheduled to take the mound for Triple-A Tacoma on Thursday. Manager Lloyd McClendon said Iwakuma is likely to need at least one more rehab start after that before the Mariners consider activating him from the disabled list. Iwakuma (strained lat muscle) has been on the disabled list since late April. ... Mariners closer RHP Carson Smith pitched on back-to-back nights, so manager Lloyd McClendon was hoping not to have to use him Sunday. But Smith earned saves on just 24 total pitches over 2 1/3 innings. ... The Astros were scheduled to leave Seattle after Sunday's game and fly to Los Angeles, where they begin a three-game series Monday against the Angels. Seattle hosts Kansas City in a three-game series beginning Monday.