Houston had a four-run cushion, a rested closer and a division opening waiting in Seattle. By the end of 10 innings Wednesday night, the Astros had a 6-5 loss, an exhausted bullpen and a final-week race that remains crowded.
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | R |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Astros | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 |
| Mariners | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 |
The human note was Josh Hader’s workload. Manager Joe Espada went for the win with little hesitation, sending his closer back out for the 10th after he had thrown 19 pitches in the ninth. Hader, appearing for the first time in six days, ended up at 44 pitches — tied for the fifth-highest count of his career and his largest since Aug. 9, 2019, with Milwaukee.
Yainer Diaz had given Houston a 5-4 lead with an RBI triple in the top of the 10th. But Hader walked three of the four Seattle hitters he faced in the bottom half. Julio Rodríguez drew the bases-loaded walk that forced home the tying run, and Josh Naylor followed with a run-scoring single to center to finish the comeback at T-Mobile Park.
“It was a tough one,” Espada said. “We emptied the toolbox trying to get through it. But there’s another game tomorrow.”
A lead that did not hold
The Astros were playing without shortstop Jeremy Peña, sidelined by a forearm issue, and center fielder Daulton Varsho, who is dealing with a wrist injury. They nevertheless built a 4-0 lead in the third inning. Jose Altuve drove in a run with a single, Yordan Alvarez doubled home another, and Diaz delivered a two-run homer.
Seattle answered immediately against rookie Ethan Pecko, scoring three times in the bottom of the third. Dominic Cazone supplied a two-run single, then tied the game with another RBI single in the fifth.
Houston had needed a patchwork pitching plan after Cristian Javier departed Tuesday’s game after two innings because of a groin strain, leaving the bullpen to cover seven frames. On Wednesday, Pecko worked 2 2/3 innings, Josh Hendrickson threw two, Logan VanWey recorded one out and AJ Blubaugh covered two innings before Espada turned the game over to his late relievers.
Espada said Hader’s pitches had life, citing a slider that was available and a sinker that reached 96 mph. Seattle’s hitters, though, made the left-hander earn every out. They fouled off 11 of his 44 pitches and swung through only five, showing particular discipline against sinkers above the zone.
Hader said he was not consistently enough in the strike zone, even during the ninth. He noted that there is a balance in extra innings between avoiding a hittable pitch and giving hitters too many chances to wait out pitches off the plate.
Four games to settle the West
Texas lost earlier Wednesday, so Houston missed a chance to take command of the American League West. The Astros and Rangers are both 78-80 with four games left, though Houston owns the season-series tiebreaker.
The Astros now head to West Sacramento for four games against the Athletics, who have lost 95 games. Texas completes its series with the Mets in Arlington on Thursday afternoon, then closes with three games in Minnesota against the Twins.
“Whenever you can get ahead by a game, that’s what you want,” Hader said. “It hurts to lose this one the way we did, but there are four games left. We have to play well, finish strong and take care of business. The tiebreaker helps, but we can’t depend on it.”
First baseman Christian Walker saw a club that had still played well enough to carry something forward despite the ending. Houston produced against a strong Seattle staff, received meaningful innings from young pitchers and gave itself a chance late. The next stop is Sacramento, where the Astros will try to turn that effort into the wins they need.
