Randy Arozarena leads Seattle past Houston 10‑2

HOUSTON (Interstat) — Randy Arozarena went 4 for 4 with a home run and three RBI, Dominic Canzone hit a grand slam and Bryan Woo pitched six strong innings as the Seattle Mariners defeated the Houston Astros 10-2 on Tuesday night at Daikin Park.

The Mariners, who evened their record at 21-22, pounded out 11 hits and never trailed after the second inning. The Astros fell to 16-27 before an announced crowd of 28,829. The game lasted 2 hours, 54 minutes.

Seattle struck first in the second inning. Cal Raleigh drew a walk off Astros starter Tatsuya Imai, and Arozarena followed by launching his fourth home run of the season to left field, giving the Mariners a 2-0 lead. Houston answered in the bottom half against Woo. Zach Dezenzo doubled and scored on a single by Braden Shewmake to cut the deficit to 2-1.

The Astros tied the game in the third. Jose Altuve walked, Yordan Alvarez walked and Christian Walker doubled to left, scoring Altuve. Woo escaped further damage by striking out Cam Smith and Zach Dezenzo, leaving runners at second and third.

The decisive blow came in the fourth inning. Imai hit Arozarena and Luke Raley with pitches to load the bases with no outs. J.P. Crawford walked to force in a run, and then Canzone cleared the bases with a grand slam to right field, his fourth homer of the season. The blast increased Seattle’s lead to 6-2. Imai was lifted after the inning, charged with six earned runs on six hits and four walks over four innings. He fell to 1-1 on the season.

Seattle added a run in the fifth. Arozarena doubled and scored on a single by Crawford to make it 7-2. The Mariners padded the lead in the seventh. Raleigh singled off reliever Jayden Murray, and Arozarena doubled him home. Murray worked three innings in relief, allowing two earned runs on four hits.

In the ninth, Seattle tacked on two more runs against AJ Blubaugh. Raleigh singled, Arozarena singled, Raley walked and Crawford walked to force in a run. Canzone then lifted a sacrifice fly to right field, scoring Arozarena. Blubaugh pitched two innings, giving up two earned runs on two hits while striking out one.

Woo improved to 3-2, allowing two earned runs on four hits over six innings. He struck out nine and walked two. Alex Hoppe followed with two scoreless innings, striking out two without allowing a hit. Domingo Gonzalez worked the ninth, allowing one hit and striking out one.

For the Astros, Shewmake went 2 for 4 with an RBI. Walker drove in a run with his double. The Astros managed only five hits, with Altuve and Dezenzo also collecting hits. Houston’s offense has struggled all season, ranking near the bottom of the American League in runs scored.

Seattle’s victory marked their second straight win over Houston, following a 3-1 decision Monday. The Mariners have now won four of the five meetings between the clubs this season. The teams are scheduled to play two more games in this series Wednesday and Thursday before Seattle returns home to host San Diego.

Arozarena continued his torrid stretch at the plate. In his previous four games, he had collected hits in each, including a 3-for-4 performance against the Chicago White Sox last Friday. His four-hit night Tuesday matched his season high and lifted his batting average.

Canzone’s grand slam was the second of his career and gave him a career-high five RBI in the game. He finished 1 for 4, with the lone hit being the pivotal home run. Crawford added two RBI and walked twice. Raleigh reached base three times with two singles and a walk.

The Mariners’ bullpen has been a strength this season, and Tuesday was no exception. Hoppe and Gonzalez combined for three shutout innings, allowing only one hit and striking out three. Seattle’s relievers have posted a 3.21 ERA in May.

Defensively, Seattle turned a double play in the third inning to erase a base runner. Shortstop Crawford also made several routine plays and was involved in a force out in the second.

Houston’s bullpen, by contrast, could not contain Seattle’s lineup. After Imai departed, Murray and Blubaugh allowed four earned runs over five innings. The Astros have now lost three of their last four games.

The game’s most important sequence occurred in the fourth inning. With the score tied at 2-2, Imai’s command abandoned him. He hit two batters, walked a third and then served up Canzone’s grand slam. The four-run outburst gave Seattle a lead it would not relinquish.

Seattle’s 10 runs matched a season high for a road game. The Mariners scored 12 runs at Chicago on May 8, but that was at home. Their previous high on the road was seven runs.

The Astros’ Christian Walker extended his hitting streak to seven games with his double in the third. He is batting .304 during the streak.

Attendance at Daikin Park was 28,829, the second straight game in the series with a crowd under 30,000.

Seattle’s next 10 games include the remaining two in Houston, then a three-game home series against San Diego followed by three against the Chicago White Sox and two at Kansas City.

Houston’s next 10 include the two games against Seattle, then three home games against Texas, three at Minnesota and two at the Chicago Cubs.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Houston 4, Seattle 3. Interstat’s ELO system gave Seattle a 53.30 percent probability to win. Seattle was installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of minus-1.5. The total score of 12 went under the over-under line of 8.5.