Cano belts three-run homer as Mariners jolt Astros
HOUSTON -- Robinson Cano struck one last devastating blow at Minute Maid Park and the Seattle Mariners kept alive their postseason dreams with a 12-4 victory over the Houston Astros on Wednesday.
Cano belted his 36th homer with a three-run shot in the first inning off Houston right-hander Doug Fister to get the Mariners (84-74) off and running. Seattle built a 7-0 lead in the third and held off an Astros' rally in the middle innings before adding insurance to claim the rubber match of this three-game series.
The Astros (83-76) dropped five of seven games on their final homestand of the season, essentially bowing out of the race for an American League wild card in the process. Houston had won 21 of 28 games against the Los Angeles Angels and Mariners before dropping series to both to remain behind Seattle and the Detroit Tigers in the chase for the second wild-card slot, occupied by the Baltimore Orioles entering play on Wednesday.
Cano finished 1-for-5 with three RBIs and two runs scored. In 10 games at Minute Maid Park this season, Cano hit .476 with six doubles, seven home runs and 14 RBIs.
The Mariners chased Fister (12-13) with one out in the second inning, extending their lead to 6-0 when left fielder Nori Aoki greeted Astros left-handed reliever Kevin Chapman with an RBI single before right fielder Seth Smith followed with a two-run hit. Fister was charged with five runs on five hits and one walk, capping a dismal final month of the season with an 0-4 record and 11.74 ERA over six starts.
Seattle tacked on two runs in the seventh inning before Kyle Seager belted his 30th home run, a three-run shot off Astros right-hander Pat Neshek, in the eighth to join Cano and Nelson Cruz as Mariners with 30-plus homers this season. Cruz has hit 41.
Mariners left-hander James Paxton (6-7) allowed three runs on six hits and one walk with eight strikeouts over five innings. He surrendered a solo home run to Astros right fielder George Springer, his 29th, in the third and left with a 7-3 lead.
The Astros greeted Seattle right-handed reliever Nick Vincent with three consecutive hits to open the sixth, including Evan Gattis' 32nd home run on the first pitch of the frame. But right-hander Evan Scribner entered and, facing the tying run with no outs, struck out Teoscar Hernandez and Tony Kemp before inducing a Springer groundout.
NOTES: Astros 3B Alex Bregman returned to the starting lineup for the first time since Sept. 14 following his game-tying pinch hit in the sixth inning on Tuesday night. Bregman missed 11 games with right hamstring discomfort. ... Mariners SS Ketel Marte was in the starting lineup on Wednesday, one day after his critical throwing error opened the door for the Astros' six-run sixth inning. For Marte, it was his 20th error, the second-most among American League shortstops (Athletics SS Marcus Semien, 21). Rangers SS Elvis Andrus is the only AL shortstop with an inferior ultimate zone rating to Marte (-10.2). ... Astros 2B Jose Altuve and SS Carlos Correa both reached 96 RBIs on Tuesday night and became the first set of AL middle infielders to record 95-plus RBIs in a single season since 2B Bobby Doerr (120 RBIs) and SS Verne Stephens (144 RBIs) did so for the 1950 Red Sox.