Mariners win pitchers' duel against Astros
SEATTLE -- Hisashi Iwakuma threw seven shutout innings and Robinson Cano drove in the only run of the game with a sixth-inning RBI single as the Seattle Mariners beat the Houston Astros 1-0 on Saturday afternoon.
Iwakuma (10-6) allowed just two hits while striking out eight. His start came on a day when Houston starter Lance McCullers (4-4) was almost as dominant.
Seattle's Leonys Martin had two hits, including a leadoff triple in the sixth that resulted in the only run of the game. Cano followed the triple with an RBI single to left.
Both starting pitchers were on top of their game early on. Iwakuma and McCullers combined to throw five scoreless innings with 12 strikeouts between them before Seattle finally pushed a run across in the sixth.
It marked the first time this season that Iwakuma did not allow a run in a game. He has won four consecutive starts, with an ERA of 2.39 in that span.
Martin led off the sixth with a triple, then scored on Cano's RBI single for a 1-0 Seattle lead. McCullers came out one batter later, having allowed one run off four hits over 5 1/3 innings. He walked four and struck out eight.
Houston (49-42) had four hits, three of which went for extra bases. The Astros wasted doubles by Jose Altuve in the first inning, Carlos Correa in the seventh, and Marwin Gonzalez (in the ninth).
Houston's first real chance to score came in the seventh, when Correa hit a one-out double that fooled Seattle left fielder Daniel Robertson on the warning track. Robertson chased down the towering fly ball then made a jump at the wall, but the ball actually hit a few feet to his left, resulting in a stand-up double. Correa moved to third on a ground out, the second out of the inning, but Houston's Colby Rasmus grounded out to end the inning and strand him at third.
The Astros were in position to score again in the ninth, thanks to Gonzalez's leadoff double. Houston tried to move him to third on an Altuve bunt, but Gonzalez got caught in a rundown -- resulting in an out while Altuve ran to second base. Altuve then stole third, but Seattle closer Steve Cishek struck out the final two batters of the game to earn his 22nd save. After Cishek struck out Correa, he caught Luis Valbuena on a 3-2 slider to end the game.
Seattle (46-45) ended a five-game skid against the Astros. The Mariners also won for just the third time in their past nine games.
NOTES: Seattle SS Ketel Marte (minor ankle sprain) and RF Nelson Cruz (bruised foot) were not in Saturday's starting lineup. Cruz fouled a pitch off his left foot during his first at-bat Friday but was able to stay in the game. Marte hurt his ankle in Friday's third inning. UTIL Shawn O'Malley got the start at shortstop, while LF Daniel Robertson stepped into Marte's leadoff spot. ... Friday's win was Houston's eighth in the past nine road games. ... RHP Hisashi Iwakuma, Seattle's Saturday starter, had an 0-4 record and 7.50 ERA over his past five outings against the Astros heading into the game. ... Houston SS Carlos Correa went into Saturday's game with 35 career home runs as a shortstop. With one more, the 21-year-old would take over sole possession of first place on the Astros' all-time list of homers by a shortstop. ... The three-game series wraps up with another afternoon game Sunday. The Mariners will then host the Chicago White Sox, while Houston heads to Oakland for a three-game series with the Athletics.