HOUSTON _ When the situation had finally reached the point of embarrassment in the third inning, an escalation that quickly worsened from bad to awful to dear God, please make it stop, two things became very clear.
Felix Hernandez didn't want to be out the mound for one pitch more.
And manager Scott Servais didn't watch him try to throw another pitch, which probably would have been walloped for a double or misplayed by one of his fielders.
The erstwhile Mariners ace couldn't hand the ball to Servais fast enough as he left the mound, ending a gruesome pasting that has to make him question his future beyond this season.
By that point, a loss was guaranteed, meaning the Mariners would not a win a game this season at Minute Maid Park. The only drama would be how bad they'd get pummeled. The result was a demoralizing 21-1 beatdown by Houston, perhaps a fitting result in what was their 11th straight loss against Houston this season.
It was Seattle's worst loss of the season. The 21 runs allowed were a season high as were the 22 hits and 14 extra basehits. Houston set a record with 11 doubles in the game.
The Mariners record vs. the Astros this season is now 1-16. They went 0-10 in Minute Maid this season.
To be fair, the Astros have bullied their American League West division foes this season. Their season record in division games:
_ Mariners: 16-1
_ A's: 10-5
_ Angels: 9-3
_ Rangers: 10-6
That's a combined 46-15 record. Houston is also 27-2 vs. AL West teams at home.
Seattle still has to play the Astros two more times _ September 24-25 _ in the final homestand of the season.
This didn't figure to be a nostalgic stop on the Hernandez farewell tour with the Mariners. Given the firepower of the Astros offense and Hernandez's downward decline in command, stuff and effectiveness that started about five years ago, there was a chance it could get ugly.
But even this was unexpected.
Hernandez worked a 1-2-3 first inning, retiring George Springer, Jose Altuve and Alex Bregman in order, which isn't easy to do. In the second inning, he struck out Yordan Alvarez and got Aledmys Diaz to ground out.
Even after he walked Kyle Tucker and allowed a double to Abraham Toro, Hernandez appeared he would escape the inning unscathed when he got slow-footed catcher Martin Maldonado to hit a routine ground ball to shortstop. But Dee Gordon, who was making the rare start at shortstop, misplayed the sure out for an error, allowing two runs to scored.
Hernandez's next pitch after the Gordon miscue was crushed off the back wall behind the left field fence by Jake Marisnick for a two-run homer.
After a terse meeting with manager Scott Servais, Hernandez got George Springer to fly out to end the inning. But four unearned runs had scored and with Gerrit Cole starting for the Astros, the Mariners were done. A four-run deficit against Cole would be almost impossible to overcome. Seattle would later wish it was only a four-run deficit.
Hernandez returned for the third inning and wouldn't record an out while facing seven batters.
It went:
_Altuve double
_Bregman hit by a pitch
_Alvarez two-run double
_Diaz RBI double
_Kyle Tucker RBI double
_Toro walk
_Martin Maldonado RBI double
_Hernandez removed from the game.
Hernandez's replacement, Erik Swanson, got Marinsick to pop out the first out of the season. But George Springer hammered a three-run homer to right field. Later with two outs, Alvarez hit his second double of the inning, driving in another run.
When Swanson finally struck out Tucker to end the inning, the Mariners trailed 13-0. Houston sent 14 batters to the plate in the inning. They scored nine runs, racked up eight hits, including a homer and six doubles. Seven of the runs were charged to Hernandez.
He was credited with two innings pitched, 11 runs allowed (seven earned) on seven hits with two walks and a strikeout. His stuff was mediocre, his command was wandering and his intent was forgettable. This isn't a game that will help him find a place to pitch next season.
Down 13-0, the Mariners once again flirted with the possibility of being no-hit for the third time this season. Cole was perfect through three innings, striking out six of the nine batters he faced. But Shed Long provided Seattle's only hit and run, leading off the fourth inning with an opposite field solo homer into the Crawford Boxes in left field.
The Astros continued blast the Mariners bullpen, scoring three runs over two innings against Wade LeBlanc and five off Reggie McClain in the seventh inning.
