Seattle Mariners win series, but drop four-game finale to Houston

The Mariners struggled with Astros starting pitcher Spencer Arrighetti today. The Astro’s rookie starting pitcher threw six shutout innings against the Mariners. Arrighetti allowed just two hits and three walks while striking out eight. The Mariners struggled to put runners on base throughout his start. Arrighetti earned his first quality start of his career in his ninth start. Keeping the Mariners hitters off balance and off the scoreboard, as the Mariners fell to Houston 4-0.

Logan Gilbert was superb for the Mariners in his first three innings of work. Allowing only one hit the first time in the Astros lineup. He ran into trouble the second time through the order, as the Astros began jumping on Gilbert early in the count. Alex Bregman hit a two-run HR against Gilbert to break a scoreless tie in the fourth on the second pitch of the bat. Victor Caratini added a solo home run in the fifth on the first pitch of the bat.

Before Thursday’s game, Logan Gilbert had been dominant against the Astros in his previous start. He pitched eight scoreless innings and held the Astros to just two hits in Houston on May 4. Unfortunately, Gilbert was unable to replicate that performance on Thursday, as he allowed eight hits, four earned runs, one walk and five strikeouts. Ending what had been a streak of three consecutive quality starts.

The Mariners were unable to provide any support to their starting pitcher, as Spencer Arrighetti had the best start of his young career. Offense will be an area where the Mariners will need to improve to complement their strong starting pitching as they get closer to the trade deadline. The M’s are currently tied for 28th in points scored per game, averaging just 3.7 points per game. Mariners pitchers, on the other hand, allowed just 3.75 runs per game, the fifth-fewest runs in the league.

Although the Mariners weren’t swept in this four-game series with the Astros, they had a big series win against their division rivals, including two come-from-behind victories. They currently hold a three-game lead over the Rangers and a 5.5-game lead over the Astros. The Mariners open a three-game series with the Angels on Friday. Bryan Woo will take the ball in Game 1 of the series against Angels Jose Soriano on Friday night.