It has been what Mariners fans had been waiting for for quite some time and it finally showed on Saturday night as the Seattle Mariners played host to the Houston Astros. The same day that Mariners legend Edgar Martinez gets named hitting coach, Seattle struck for three home runs and scored six runs off of Houston's ace.

Houston got off to a quick start on the back of two solo home runs in the top of the second inning by Evan Gattis and Luis Valbuena. That put the Astros up 2-0 and that had them ahead early vs. Seattle starter Taijuan Walker.

That lead didn't last long however. Astros starter Dallas Keuchel really had some issues in his six innings of work as he gave up five runs on five hits while striking out seven and walking four batters. All four of those walks came in the bottom of the second as he even walked home two runs and after two, it was a 2-2 tie. Those walks are very unlike Keuchel as coming in, he hadn't walked 3+ in a game since June 22nd of 2014.

The Mariners kept it going as in the third Nelson Cruz hit his 19th homer of the season, a solo shot to put Seattle ahead 3-2. Then in the fifth, Seth Smith joined the party with another solo shot to make it 4-2. Finally, in the sixth, Mark Trumbo hit his first "Trumbomb," another solo shot to make it 5-2 Mariners and that ended Keuchel's outing.

In the seventh, Mariners manager Lloyd McClendon came to get Walker after putting a man on and because of a matchup with a lefty, Valbuena, on deck. Taijuan went 6.1 innings giving up three runs on five hits and striking out a career high eleven with no walks. Vidal Nuno came into the game and gave up an RBI single to Marwin Gonzalez which scored the inherited runner and made it 5-3.

After struggling with walks earlier this season, Walker has really figured it out and has turned in some of his best performances in his last few outings. In his last 35.1 innings (5 starts), he has walked only three. In his first 43 innings, he had walked 23 batters. The command and BB/9 has been key to his turnaround.

In the eighth, Seattle tacked on one more via a Robinson Cano RBI single to make it 6-3. 

Carson Smith came on with two outs in the eighth and completed a perfect four-out save to preserve the victory and complete the series win for Seattle. 

The series concludes at Safeco Field in Seattle as the Mariners, looking for a three game sweep, will send southpaw J.A. Happ to the hill to face Astros starter Vincent Velasquez.

WP: Taijuan Walker (5-6, 4.94 ERA)

LP: Dallas Keuchel (8-3, 2.35 ERA)

SV: Carson Smith (5, 1.52 ERA)

FACTS:

  • First time in Mariners history that they have had back to back starts of 10+ Ks and no walks as Roenis Elias struck out 10 Friday night.
  • First three homer game off Houston starter Dallas Keuchel since July 27th, 2013. Tonight is only the second multi-HR game since then that he has allowed.