. The double by Haniger was his fifth extra-base hit in the last two games after he doubled in the sixth on Friday and had two doubles and a homer on Thursday.Cole was replaced by Ryan Pressly, whose first pitch plunked Jean Segura on the top of his left hand. Cruz then smashed a ball off the wall in left-center to score Haniger and Span and make it 4-2. The Mariners tacked on a run when Segura scored on a groundout by Kyle Seager.Seattle starter Mike Leake allowed eight hits and two runs in six innings. Adam Warren (1-1) allowed one hit in a scoreless seventh for the win and Edwin Diaz struck out two in a perfect ninth for his 44th save.Cole yielded six hits and four runs in 7 1/3 innings for his season-high third straight loss.The Astros had trouble stringing hits together until Marwin Gonzalez and Tyler White hit consecutive singles with no outs in the fifth inning. Martin Maldonado then reached on a fielder's choice that left Gonzalez out at home.Tony Kemp's single to center field with two outs scored White to make it 1-0. Alex Bregman followed with an RBI double to push the lead to 2-0 before Carlos Correa grounded out to end the inning and leave Kemp stranded at third. Correa was 0 for 3 in his return after missing more than a month with a sore lower back.Cole sailed through the first five innings, retiring 15 of the first 16 batters he faced with the only baserunner coming on a double by Cruz to start the second inning. He'd sat down 12 straight when Cameron Maybin singled to start the sixth inning. Cole then walked Dee Gordon on four pitches before a double by Haniger scored Maybin to cut the lead to 2-1.Span's single sent Gordon home to tie it up. There were two outs in the inning when center fielder Jake Marisnick made a spectacular diving catch to rob Seager of a hit and keep the game tied. Marisnick sailed through the air and snagged the ball just inches from the grass to end the inning. Cole extended both hands into the air and cheered after seeing the catch before putting his glove on his head and shaking it in relief.Marisnick was injured running the bases on a double in the seventh inning. The team said Marisnick, who is filling in at center field for an injured George Springer, left the game with discomfort in his left groin.TRAINER'S ROOMAstros: Manager A. J. Hinch said 2B Jose Altuve (sore right knee) is making progress, but won't return during this homestand, which runs through Wednesday. Altuve, the reigning AL MVP, hasn't played since July 25.UP NEXTHouston's Charlie Morton (12-2, 2.81 ERA) opposes Seattle left-hander Wade LeBlanc (6-2, 3.81) when the series continues on Saturday night. Morton struck out eight in seven innings in his last start to give him a career-high 167 strikeouts this season.---More baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball and https://twitter.com/-Sports)
StubHubStubHubAstros' Correa expected back to face Mariners 9m ago• 3 min read HOUSTON -- Astros shortstop Carlos Correa looked the part of someone poised to contribute, and given his extended absence, his presence was a welcome sight in the home clubhouse.Correa is scheduled to be reinstated from the 10-day disabled list Friday, ending a 36-game hiatus caused by lower back soreness. Correa landed on the DL on June 26 and has endured a methodical rehabilitation process, one that culminated with a five-game rehab assignment with Double-A Corpus Christi that included Correa going 3-for-16 with a home run for the Hooks.The Astros (73-43) were 21-15 with Correa on the DL following their 8-6 loss to Seattle on Thursday. Correa was slashing .268/.352/.480 with 13 home runs and 49 RBIs before the injury ended a legit bid at a second consecutive All-Star selection. The Astros are 46-27 with Correa in the lineup."We wouldn't bring him back if we didn't expect him to be ready," Astros manager A. J. Hinch said. "This is a scheduled off day for him, and then assuming nothing happens on the off day, he'll be ready to go (Friday)." Right-hander Gerrit Cole (10-4, 2.64 ERA) will start for the Astros in Friday's game against Seattle. He took the loss in both his starts on the recently completed road trip, allowing five runs on 10 hits and three walks with 16 strikeouts over 11 2/3 innings against the Mariners and Dodgers.Cole is 2-1 with a 1.19 ERA over three career starts against Seattle, and two of those appearances came this season, when he went 1-1 with a 1.32 ERA. He gave up two runs in 6 2/3 innings against the Mariners on July 30 and took the loss in Seattle's 2-0 victory.Right-hander Mike Leake (8-7, 4.16 ERA) takes the ball for Seattle (66-50) on Friday. Leake has recorded a quality start in four consecutive appearances dating to July 15. That includes his previous start against the Toronto Blue Jays on Sunday, when he allowed three runs on nine hits with five strikeouts over 6 2/3 innings in a 6-3 win.Leake is 6-5 with a 3.67 ERA over 12 career starts against the Astros and is 6-6 with a 3.72 ERA over 14 career appearances against Houston.Leake is 0-2 with a 6.00 ERA in two starts against the Astros this season.Mariners manager Scott Servais made official what had been rumored recently, announcing that veteran right-hander Felix Hernandez has moved to the bullpen effective immediately. Hernandez (8-10, 5.73 ERA) was slated to make his 399th career start in the series finale on Sunday. Instead, his next appearance will be the first of his 14 years with Seattle as a reliever.An All-Star as recently as 2015, Hernandez has suffered a steady decline since then, going 25-23 over the last two-plus seasons.The American League Cy Young Award winner in 2010, Hernandez finished in the top 10 in Cy Young Award voting six times between 2009-15. However, this season he is sporting a career-worst ERA and a career-low 7.2 strikeouts per nine innings. His 1.435 WHIP is the highest of his career. Hernandez last posted a quality start on June 25 at Baltimore. He is 1-4 with a 7.85 ERA over six starts since."Very difficult (conversation)," Servais said. "Certainly respect him and everything he's done here throughout his career but these things happen and ultimately it's about the team. It's never easy but again hopefully he takes it the right way. He'll get a chance to pitch at some point down there and maybe he can work his way back in the rotation. We'll see. He'll let us know on that."
Looking for More Picks?
You can browse all the individual handicapper picks below.
Seattle Mariners
Houston Astros
Pick Center
MLB
FINAL (8/10/2018)
TomBartonSports
