Hunter Brown was great, the Mariners’ Bryce Miller was better
Do the Astros just love drama? Are they going to do like last year, make us wait until the last game of the year before we know if they’ll make the playoffs?
Although the Astros came into this game five games ahead of the Mariners with only six games remaining for both teams, the Ms entered this series with perhaps the best pitching staff in baseball and the hottest hitting during the last two weeks.
On the Astros side, they just lost their most dangerous offensive threat to injury, and their bullpen in the last three games has collapsed. Will the Astros be able to hit the tough Mariners staff without their sparkplug? Can the bullpen hold the Mariners offense that, at long last, finally seems to be living up to preseason billing?
Tonight, the answer was no. And this game is why no one wants to face the Mariners in the playoffs if they can somehow run the table and overcome their deficits in the playoff race.
As usual, the Astros starting pitching was impeccable. Hunter Brown kept the Astros close, but Mariner starter Bryce Miller shut the Astros completely down, and Mariners bats chipped away against the Astros bullpen until the game was out of reach.
As every Little League coach says, a walk is as good as a hit. As good as he was, Hunter Brown found out the hard way tonight.
The Mariners started the scoring with the help of two leadoff walks by Brown in the third inning, both on 3-2 counts. It looked like Brown would get out of trouble when Jeremy Pena and Alex Bregman teamed up on a nifty 6-5 putout for out two, but Cal Raleigh then hit a blooper into right field to plate the game’s first run.
That was it against Brown. Yet another outstanding start from the young Astros future ace. He allowed only three hits, striking out eight. The three walks proved troublesome, spoiling Brown’s chance for a scoreless outing. There were only two balls out of the infield against Brown, and two of the three hits were infield hits.
The Mariners fared better against the Astros bullpen. Caleb Ferguson allowed two singles, yielding to Kaleb Ort with one out. Ort walked the bases loaded on four pitches, all right on the corner, then struck out Victor Robles, but allowed a single to Julio Rodriguez. Weakly hit to center with two outs, it should have scored two runs, but Jake Meyers gunned down Josh Rojas at third before the second run crossed the plate, limiting the damage.
The Astros put up a big threat in the seventh inning, getting runners on first and second with no outs, and runners at second and third with one out. But Mariner starter Bryce Miller struck out Victor Caratini and Jeremy Pena to escape unscathed.
Miller pitched seven scoreless innings, allowing only two hits, two walks, with five strikeouts.
Bryan King came in for the Astros in the eighth inning cursed by the gods. He allowed a legitimate single to leadoff hitter Julio Rodriguez, but a swinging bunt single by Randy Arozarena and a bunt-bunt single by Luke Raley loaded the bases with no outs. Justin Turner made the score 3-0 with a sac fly. Jorge Polanco made the score 4-0 with a double chasing King. Seth Martinez got a pop out to end the inning.
A little too little, a little too late, but Jason Heyward, on an 1-2 count, knocked a line drive just over the right field fence to at least help the Astros avoid the shutout.
In the ninth the Mariners went golfing. Back-to-back doubles, the second by Julio Rodriguez, scored a run, and Rodriguez scored on an Arozarena double. making the score 6-1.
Tomorrow, Framber Valdez goes for the Astros’ seventh AL West flag in the last eight years. (Seven of the last seven if you discount the phony COVID season). Let’s hit, boys. Four hits and one run won’t get it done, even with Bob Gibson pitching.