Sanchez starts it, 3 Astros relievers finish no-hitter

Aaron Sanchez looked like a reinvented pitcher in his Houston debut, throwing six stellar innings to start the Astros on a combined no-hitter Saturday night in their 9-0 victory over the visiting Seattle Mariners.

Sanchez was an All-star in 2016 and led the American League in ERA, but he’s struggled badly this season and had lost 13 straight decisions and led the majors with 14 losses. Three days after he was acquired from Toronto at the trade deadline, the 27-year-old right-hander teamed with Will Harris, Joe Biagini and Chris Devenski to shut down Seattle.

“Just trying to have a good first impression,” Sanchez said.

It was the second time in less than a month the last-place Mariners were no-hit by multiple pitchers. The Angels used two pitchers in a combined nohitter July 12 against Seattle.

After throwing 92 pitches, Sanchez (4-14) was replaced by Harris to start the seventh.

Sanchez kept the Mariners off balance with a steady stream of fastballs in the low-to-mid 90s (mph) coupled with slow curveballs that often froze batters for strikes as he worked with veteran catcher Martin Maldonado, picked up by Houston in a trade with the Chicago Cubs earlier in the week.

Harris and Joe Biagini, also obtained from the Blue Jays in the same deal that netted Sanchez, each worked one inning before Devenski tossed a perfect ninth. He retired All-star slugger Daniel Vogelbach on a routine fly for the final out, setting off an Astros celebration on the field after the club’s 12th no-hitter.

“This is awesome,” Sanchez said, adding: “You can’t write it up any better than this.”

Sanchez struck out six, walked two and hit a batter with a pitch in his first victory since April 27 for Toronto. He had been winless in 17 consecutive starts.