Astros’ Alvarez hits for cycle; Mariners escape with win | The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

SEATTLE — Luke Raley hit a three-run home run, Bryan Woo pitched 5 2/3 strong innings and the Seattle Mariners overcame an injured Julio Rodriguez to beat the Houston Astros 6-4 on Sunday.

Rodriguez left the game with two outs in the sixth inning after jumping for a fly ball and appearing to twist his right ankle against the center-field fence pad on a triple by Yordan Alvarez, who hit for the cycle.

Rodriguez grabbed his ankle in pain and remained on the ground for several minutes before leaving the field with manager Scott Servais and trainer Taylor Bennett. Servais said initial X-rays were negative.

“He has a slight sprain in his ankle,” Servais said. “Right now, I’m told it’s day to day. We’ll see where it goes.”

Servais added that Rodriguez would likely undergo an MRI.

“We’ll take all the precautions there and make sure he’s 100 percent before he goes back there,” Servais said.

The hit off Taylor Saucedo was the third of the game for Alvarez, who also had a first-inning single and a fourth-inning home run off Woo. Alvarez completed the cycle with an eighth-inning double off Mariners reliever Gregory Santos.

“I’m really excited,” Alvarez said. “I felt a little pressure at that point, but I knew I needed a double and when I hit the ball I was like, ‘Here it is.’”

It was Alvarez’s first career home run and the 10th in Astros history.

“That’s not easy to do, especially for a hitter,” Astros manager Joe Espada said. “It shows how athletic he is. Being able to hit, he looked like he hit it 150 yards on that home run, and then being able to triple, it shows not only how good a hitter he is, but how athletic he is.”

Woo (4-1) retired 10 of the first 11 batters he faced and allowed just two hits in his first five innings. Woo finished his day with four hits and two earned runs allowed, no walks and five strikeouts.

“I think I just got better at controlling what I could control,” Woo said. “I went back to a very simple, basic approach to games, not trying to complicate things.”

Dylan Moore gave the Mariners a two-run triple in the second inning off Astros starter Ronel Blanco (9-5). After Alvarez cut the lead to one with a 429-foot shot in the fourth, Jorge Polanco homered for Seattle in the bottom half to make it 3-1.

The Astros scored again when Alvarez got Mauricio Dubon to score on his triple in the sixth inning, but Raley hit his three-run shot in the bottom half to give Seattle a four-run lead.

Jeremy Pena hit a home run for the Astros in the seventh and Chas McCormick hit an RBI single in the eighth.

Andres Munoz pitched the ninth inning for his 16th save.

The win snapped a five-game losing streak and moved the Mariners into a tie with Houston for the American League West lead.

Seattle Mariners’ Julio Rodriguez, center, lies on the ground between right fielder Victor Robles, left, and left fielder Dylan Moore after hitting the outfield wall during the eighth inning of a baseball game against the Houston Astros, Sunday, July 21, 2024, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Stephen Brashear)

Seattle Mariners center fielder Julio Rodriguez, center, is helped off the field by manager Scott Servais, right, and a team trainer during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Houston Astros, Sunday, July 21, 2024, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Stephen Brashear)

Houston Astros’ Yordan Alvarez hits a run-scoring triple during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Seattle Mariners, Sunday, July 21, 2024, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Stephen Brashear)

Houston Astros’ Yordan Alvarez hits a single during the first inning of a game against the Seattle Mariners, Sunday, July 21, 2024, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Stephen Brashear)

Seattle Mariners’ Andres Munoz throws a pitch during the ninth inning of a baseball game against the Houston Astros, Sunday, July 21, 2024, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Stephen Brashear)