Charlie Morton dominant as Astros silence Mariners 9-2

by Associated Press
| April 20, 2018 1:00 AM

SEATTLE (AP) — In a four-game series that displayed the depth and talent of the Houston Astros starting rotation, it was their No. 5 starter that turned in arguably the best performance.

Charlie Morton pitched seven innings of three-hit ball, Jose Altuve hit a three-run double and the Astros beat the Seattle Mariners 9-2 on Thursday.

After losing the series opener, the Astros won their third straight behind another impressive pitching performance. Morton allowed singles to Robinson Cano, Mitch Haniger and Nelson Cruz, and otherwise baffled Seattle’s lineup.

In the four-game series, Houston’s starters dominated with none of the four allowing more than two earned runs. Seattle was just 15 for 100 against Dallas Keuchel, Lance McCullers Jr., Gerrit Cole and Morton.

Morton (3-0) was the best of the four and has not allowed a run in three of his four starts this season.

“That can change quick and I know that. In 2015 I had a really good start my first five starts ... went into D.C. and I gave up nine runs in two-thirds of an inning,” Morton said. “My goal is to just go out there and give quality innings and not think about overall how things are going.”

Mixing a fastball that was still in the mid-90s in the seventh inning with a good curveball, Morton struck out eight and walked none. He retired 15 straight between Haniger’s one-out single in the second inning and Cruz’s broken bat hit in the seventh. Morton didn’t allow a runner to reach second base.

“His ability to establish the fastball sets up so many options for him, not just against the Mariners but against any team,” Astros manager A.J. Hinch said.

Altuve’s two-out double in the fifth capped an inning in which defense didn’t help starter Marco Gonzales. Kyle Seager’s error on Alex Bregman’s grounder to third started the inning, and Marwin Gonzalez followed with a line drive single off Seager’s glove. Josh Reddick drove in one run on a shallow pop up that fell in the outfield, but rather than let Gonzales (1-2) finish the inning, Seattle manager Scott Servais went to reliever Dan Altavilla to face the top of Houston’s order.

Altavilla walked George Springer, and Altuve followed with a shot to right-center for a 4-0 lead. Altuve also had an RBI ground-rule double in the ninth. Reddick and Max Stassi added solo homers.

Seattle got a pair of runs in the eighth inning off Houston’s bullpen on RBI doubles from David Freitas and Jean Segura.