Julio Rodriguez Going Yard, Mariners Own Houston and Houston Is Spiraling

The Seattle Mariners just beat the Houston Astros for the eighth straight time, and at this point Houston might want to request a trade out of the same division. Julio Rodriguez went deep in the third inning on Monday night, and that blast was enough to power Seattle past Houston 3-1 at Minute Maid Park. But the real story here isn't just that the Mariners won again. It's that the Astros are now 10 games below .500 for the first time since May 2024. Yeah, you read that right. That's a freefall.

Rodriguez Makes It Look Easy

Rodriguez stepped up in the third and launched a home run that had the Astros looking helpless. The guy is doing what he does best: making pitchers pay. Cal Raleigh was back there throwing it down, running the show behind the plate like he has all season. The Mariners offense wasn't flashy overall, but when your cleanup hitter goes yard, you don't need much else. This is the kind of performance that wins games in May and builds momentum heading into the summer grind.

Astros Can't Keep Up

Houston got on the board with an RBI single from Isaac Paredes in the fifth inning, but it came way too late to matter. Jose Altuve struck out in the third, and the rest of the Houston lineup couldn't generate anything close to consistent pressure. The Astros' pitching held the Mariners to just three runs, which would normally be respectable, but one home run from Rodriguez was enough to sink them. That tells you everything you need to know about how little Houston's offense is producing right now.

Eight Straight and Counting

This marks eight consecutive wins for Seattle over Houston. Eight. That's not a coincidence anymore. That's a matchup where the Mariners just know how to get the job done. The Astros dropping 10 games below .500 is a massive red flag for a franchise that won 118 games just a couple years back. For the Mariners, every win matters this early, and beating a division rival in their own house is exactly the kind of statement Seattle needs to make.

The Mariners head home to T-Mobile Park knowing they're building something. Houston, meanwhile, has some serious soul-searching to do. The next time these teams meet, expect the Astros to be hungry. But for now, Seattle is the team in control.

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