Zach Cole delivered a walk-off single in the 10th inning as the Houston Astros pulled out a 4-3 victory over the visiting Seattle Mariners on Wednesday.
The Astros snapped a nine-game losing skid against Seattle with their first walk-off win this season. Brice Matthews, who opened the 10th at second base, advanced to third on a wild pitch by Mariners reliever Alex Hoppe (0-1) before Cole capped his three-hit night with a single to right.
Houston reliever Bryan Abreu (2-2) pitched a scoreless top of the 10th.
Seattle finished 1-for-13 with runners in scoring position and left 11 on base. Houston went 2-for-12 and stranded 14.
Jose Altuve worked a bases-loaded walk against Mariners reliever Cooper Criswell in the sixth that tied the game at 2-2. Two innings later, Altuve added a sacrifice fly to center that plated Matthews, who reached on a fielder’s choice and advanced into scoring position when Mariners reliever Eduard Bazardo followed with a throwing error.
Trailing 3-2 entering the ninth, the Mariners rallied with two walks and an infield single off Astros reliever Bryan King. Julio Rodriguez worked a bases-loaded walk that forced in Rob Refsnyder.
Mariners right-hander Bryce Miller made his season debut after being sidelined since sustaining an oblique injury during spring training. He was largely in control before escaping a bases-loaded jam in the fifth, aided by his strikeout of Altuve with two runners in scoring position for the second out.
Miller surrendered a leadoff home run to Christian Walker in the sixth that halved his 2-1 lead. Following a lengthy delay after plate umpire Roberto Ortiz took a foul ball off the mask and left the game, Miller allowed back-to-back hits that set the table for Altuve to knot the contest.
J.P. Crawford drove a 2-0 fastball into the second deck in right for a leadoff home run in the top of the first off Astros right-hander Lance McCullers Jr., who labored but kept Seattle in check.
Randy Arozarena and Luke Raley recorded consecutive singles to open the second before McCullers retired the next three batters. Rodriguez was left stranded at second following his one-out double in the third, and McCullers stranded two more baserunners in fourth. Josh Naylor walked never advanced in the fifth.
Two batters into the sixth, Raley extended the Mariners’ cushion with his ninth homer. The solo shot to left gave Seattle a 2-0 lead and chased McCullers, who allowed seven hits and two walks while striking out six in 5 1/3 innings.
Miller also tossed 5 1/3 innings of two-run ball. He permitted eight hits and a walk, and he fanned three.
