Astros snap 7-game skid
Seattle ace allows eight runs, gets only one out in 10-0 loss.
Luis Valbuena and Jason Castro homered as the Houston Astros chased Felix Hernandez in an eight-run first inning to snap a season-high, seven-game skid with a 10-0 win over the visiting Seattle Mariners on Friday night.
Carlos Correa and Chris Carter also homered for the Astros, but All-Star second baseman Jose Altuve exited early with discomfort in his right hamstring.
Hernandez (9-3), who had allowed just seven runs on the road all season, allowed eight runs on five hits and two walks. He got only one out, tying the shortest start of his career.
Brett Oberholtzer (1-1) allowed three hits in eight innings, and Joe Thatcher completed the four-hitter. It was Oberholtzer’s fourth start of the season after missing much of the year because of two stints on the disabled list.
The Astros were up by three before a three-run homer by Valbuena, and Castro added a two-run homer two batters later to make it 8-0 and end King Felix’s night.
The abbreviated start by Hernandez forced the Mariners to use catcher Jesus Sucre in the eighth. Sucre allowed one hit in a scoreless inning in his first major league pitching appearance.
Rangers 6, Twins 2: Elvis Andrus had a career-high four RBIs and Texas scored the tiebreaking runs on a twoout error by center fielder Aaron Hicks.
The Rangers had the bases loaded in the eighth with the game tied when Mitch Moreland hit a fly ball to center. Hicks was drifting back and reached up, but the ball ricocheted off his glove and allowed two runs to score in Minnesota’s fourth consecutive loss.
After the Twins went to their fourth pitcher of the inning, Andrus had a two-run hit to make it 6-2 before he was out trying to make it a double.
Andrus’ two-run homer in the seventh ended a 20-inning scoreless streak for the Rangers and put them up 2-1.
Brian Dozier’s 12th homer leading off the eighth made it 2-2 off reliever Tanner Scheppers (3-0).