As good as anyone anywhere with the bases loaded, J.P. Crawford again showed why in a big spot for the Mariners.
The veteran shortstop finished off the Mariners’ thrilling rally from an early five-run deficit with a bases-loaded single off the Astros’ Bryan Abreu in the bottom of the ninth inning Saturday night, driving in Cole Young from third base to deliver an 8-7 victory.
It’s the second walkoff win of the young season for the Mariners and the eighth walkoff winner of Crawford’s career in Seattle, tying Mitch Haniger for the franchise record.
“He’s got the bases loaded with less than two outs — all the pressure’s on (the pitcher),” Crawford said. “I knew he was going to be aggressive right ther. I was just trying to be on time for the fastball.”
Crawford is hitting .390 in his career with the bases loaded, and he came twice in that situation Saturday against the Mariners’ biggest rival, prompting a hearty “J.P.! J.P!” chant from the 43,294 fans inside T-Mobile Park in the moments after his latest heroics.
“Just confidence and believing in myself goes a long way,” Crawford said.
Cole Young, Brendan Donovan and Leo Rivas all worked walks against Abreu to load the bases for Crawford.
Julio Rodríguez busted out of an early-season malaise with his first home run of the season, a majestic blast to straightaway center field that completed the Mariners’ comeback from an early five-run hole.
Yordan Alvarez and the Astros vaunted offense had rocked Mariners starter Luis Castillo to take a 7-2 lead in the fourth inning, a second straight shaky start from the Mariners veteran right-hander.
The Mariners bullpen threw 5.2 scoreless innings, with Casey Legumina, Jose A. Ferrer, Eduard Bazardo and Matt Brash shutting down an Astros offense that leads the American League in several offensive categories.
Andrés Muñoz, after throwing a season-high 25 pitches to earn the save in the Mariners’ 9-6 victory Friday night, managed to escape a bases-loaded jam in the top of the ninth inning by getting (gulp) Alvarez to pop out to Randy Arozarena in shallow left field for the final out.
Alvarez, the longtime Mariners killer and MLB’s home run leader early in the season, popped out on a 2-0 slider from Muñoz that was below the zone. Muñoz had thrown eight consecutive balls before that slider to walk the bases loaded.
Rodríguez recorded his first extra-base hit in his first at-bat, a double down the left-field line off Astros starter Lance McCullers Jr.
In the fifth inning, Rodríguez launched a slider from Astros lefty Steven Okert 426 feet out to center field, scoring J.P. Crawford to tie the score at 7-7.
Crawford had helped spark the rally with a bases-loaded, two-run single off McCullers Jr., who had retired 12 in a row into the fifth inning.
Cal Raleigh, batting right handed, followed with a broken-bat sacrifice fly to left field to drive in Leo Rivas, cutting the Astros lead to 7-5.
Rodríguez struck five pitches later with his well-timed first homer.
In the first inning, Raleigh ambushed the first pitch he saw from McCullers Jr. for a two-run home run to right field, his second homer of the season and first at T-Mobile Park. J.P. Crawford had led off the bottom of the first with a six-pitch walk.
Alvarez hit a leadoff homer in the third inning, his second in as many nights in the series and his MLB-best sixth of the season. In 18 career at-bats up to that point, Alvarez had nine hits against Castillo, including three homers.
Cam Smith, after falling behind 0-2 in the count, won an impressive 13-pitch battle vs. Castillo later in the third inning, driving in two runs on a slider
Houston’s Taylor Trammell, the ex-Mariners outfielder recalled from Triple-A on Friday, had given the Astros the lead in the second inning when he laced a double off the top of the wall in left-center field to clear the bases with two outs.
Mariners leadoff hitter Brendan Donovan was out of the starting lineup Saturday for the second game in a row as he recovers from an illness.
Donovan was feeling well enough to go through a light workout on the field Saturday afternoon, catching flyballs and fielding groundballs with infield coach Perry Hill.
In a surprise move, Donovan came on to pinch hit with one out in the bottom of the ninth inning, his first appearance since Wednesday in Texas. He worked a four-pitch walk against Abreu.
This story will be updated.
