The Seattle Mariners had their chance to cut in to their AL West deficit personally on Monday night, and the returning James Paxton helped them do just that. Paxton out-pitched Gerrit Cole, striking out eight over seven shutout innings in the M's 2-0 victory over the Astros at Safeco Field. Paxton had been out since July 12th with black inflammation, but rolled to his ninth win, while handing the defending World Series Champions their fifth straight loss.
Cole was perfect through four innings for Houston, but ended up allowing both runs on four hits over 6.2 innings, while striking out eight. It was his third loss, as Nelson Cruz had the big blow with a two-run double in the sixth inning.
Following Paxton's masterful outing, Alex Colome took care of the eighth, before Edwin Diaz came in to record his 40th save of the year in the ninth. Diaz became the second-fastest closer in MLB history to record 40 saves in a season, needing just 106 games to do so. The M's starter enjoyed success thanks to him pounding the strike zone, as 59 of his 82 pitches were strikes.
The Astros have now dropped six of their past seven overall, as they continue to struggle since sending Jose Atluve to the disabled list over the weekend. That included the last-place Texas Rangers handing them their first series sweep of the season at home.
The Mariners have taken advantage of the Astros' struggles with consecutive victories. They improved their record to 63-43 on Monday, staying a game above the Oakland Athletics in the AL Wild Card race. They are also now just three games behind Houston in the AL West, whom they will do battle with again on Tuesday.
Cole was perfect through four innings for Houston, but ended up allowing both runs on four hits over 6.2 innings, while striking out eight. It was his third loss, as Nelson Cruz had the big blow with a two-run double in the sixth inning.
Following Paxton's masterful outing, Alex Colome took care of the eighth, before Edwin Diaz came in to record his 40th save of the year in the ninth. Diaz became the second-fastest closer in MLB history to record 40 saves in a season, needing just 106 games to do so. The M's starter enjoyed success thanks to him pounding the strike zone, as 59 of his 82 pitches were strikes.
The Astros have now dropped six of their past seven overall, as they continue to struggle since sending Jose Atluve to the disabled list over the weekend. That included the last-place Texas Rangers handing them their first series sweep of the season at home.
The Mariners have taken advantage of the Astros' struggles with consecutive victories. They improved their record to 63-43 on Monday, staying a game above the Oakland Athletics in the AL Wild Card race. They are also now just three games behind Houston in the AL West, whom they will do battle with again on Tuesday.
