HOUSTON — It was more than a cold slap of reality to their face delivered by the Houston Astros. No, this felt like five or six haymakers to their jaw — punishing reminders of which team still runs the American League West and where the upstart Mariners remain in that pecking order.
The juxtaposition of a team hopeful of defying expectations and sneaking into the playoffs for the time in 20 years via the second wild card vs. a team that has made the postseason five out of the last six seasons, played in two World Series, winning one of them, was stark.
And in their home confines, where they aren’t constantly booed for beating up on teams and trash cans in the past, the Astros offered another example of just how far the Mariners still have to go in a rebuild that is supposed to turn them into perennial contenders for the division title.
Houston put up a power-laden 12-3 pasting on the Mariners, Friday night at Minute Maid Park, rocking starter Yusei Kikuchi, rolling up 15 total hits, including eight extra-base hits and scoring at least two runs in each of the first five innings
Nope, the Mariners aren’t playing the Round Rock Rangers in this series.
Kikuchi slogged his way through his worst outing of the season, not making it out of the third inning. He walked off the mound with two outs in the third inning, having allowed seven earned runs on seven hits with three walks and two strikeouts.
In his last seven outings since the All-Star break, Kikuchi is 1-3 with a 6.35 ERA, having allowed 24 runs in 35 innings pitched. He’s allowed a whopping 44 hits over that time, including 10 homers.
It was his shortest outing since his first start of the shortened 2020 season, which also came at Minute Maid Park vs. the Astros. He made it through just 3 2/3 inning, allowing five runs on five hits with four walks and four strikeouts while being charged with the loss.
The last time he failed to make it out of the third inning came in his rookie season in 2019 when gave up five runs on 10 hits in 2 1/3 innings vs. the White Sox on Sept. 13.
Eight of the balls that the Astros put in play off Kikuchi had exit velocities of at least 100 mph.
Perhaps it was a sign of struggles to come when he walked Jose Altvue — the first hitter of the game — on five pitches. With one out in the inning, Kikuchi left a 95-mph fastball over the middle of the plate that Carlos Correa put off the wall in deep right-center for an RBI triple. A ground ball off the bat of Yordan Alvarez would score Correa and give Houston a 2-0 lead.
Houston made it 4-0 in the second inning when Chas McCormick worked a one-out walk and Kikuchi hung a slider to rookie Jake Meyers that was crushed over the wall in deep left-center.
It got uglier for Kikuchi in the third inning. He gave up a single to Correa and hung another slider — this one on the first pitch to Alvarez, who sent a majestic drive into the walk way above the fence in deep left-center. Another Kikuchi slider, which was actually low and out of the strike zone, was deposited off the signage high above the fence in left field by Yuli Gurriel, giving the Astros back-to-back homers and a 7-0 lead.
After giving up a line-drive double to left field to Aledmys Diaz, Kikuchi was able to get a pair of outs before walking Martin Maldonado. With Kikuchi at 29 pitches in the inning and 72 in the outing, manager Scott Servais went to his bullpen.
Rookie Wyatt Mills entered and ended the interminable third inning by getting Jose Altuve to lineout to first base. But he wasn’t able to avoid the Astros’ hitting party, giving up three runs in the fourth inning on three hits.
Meanwhile, the Mariners did little against Houston starter Lance McCullers and his array of breaking pitches. He pitched six innings, allowing two runs on five hits with a walk and eight strikeouts. Of course, being handed a 7-0 lead before pitching his third inning of work made things much easier.
Kyle Seager blasted a solo homer off McCullers and Abraham Toro added an RBI single. The Mariners other run came from Ty France, who had three hits on the night, including a solo homer to deep left field.
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