Cole's 10th-Inning Single Breaks Through, But Mariners Can't Hold On Against Astros

The Mariners had their chance to keep rolling in Houston on Wednesday night. Instead, they watched the Astros chip away in extra innings and walk away with a 4-3 win that snapped Houston's nine-game losing streak against Seattle. This one stings because it came down to one swing in the 10th, and the home team cashed in.

Zach Cole was the culprit. The Astros' second baseman tied a career high with three hits on the night, and his most important one came when it mattered most. With Brice Matthews starting the 10th as the automatic runner on second base, a wild pitch from Alex Hoppe pushed him to third. Cole then singled on a grounder to right field to plate Matthews and end it. Bryan Abreu pitched a scoreless 10th for the Astros, picking up the win.

Mariners Had it Within Reach

Seattle actually looked solid for most of this game. J.P. Crawford and Luke Raley both went deep for solo home runs. Crawford's leadoff blast got things rolling early, and Raley's shot with one out in the sixth chased Astros starter Lance McCullers and made it 2-0. That should have been enough to hang on.

Bryce Miller made his season debut after recovering from a strained left oblique and kept Houston in check through 5 1/3 innings, giving up two runs on eight hits. McCullers matched him with 5 1/3 innings of his own, allowing two runs on seven hits. Both pitchers did their job. The problem was what happened in the late innings.

Astros Crawled Back with Help from the Mariners

Christian Walker opened the bottom of the sixth with a solo shot to the front row in right field to get Houston within 1. Then came the eighth inning, when the Astros loaded the bases with nobody out. Jose Altuve's one-out sacrifice fly gave Houston the lead at 3-2. Altuve, who added two RBI on the night, became the fifth Astros player to reach 900 career RBI.

But the Mariners weren't done. Julio Rodríguez drew a bases-loaded walk against Bryan King with two outs in the ninth to tie it back up at 3-3 and send this thing to extra innings.

There was a weird moment in the sixth when home plate umpire Roberto Ortiz took a foul ball off his mask and had to leave the game. First base umpire Alex MacKay moved behind the plate to take over.

What's Next

The Mariners are still fighting at 21-23 overall and 9-12 on the road. Luis Castillo (0-4, 6.57 ERA) gets the ball Thursday night in the series finale, looking for his first win. Mike Burrows (2-4, 5.04) starts for Houston. First pitch is at 5:10 PM on MLB.TV from Daikin Park.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.