SEATTLE – The Astros season continues to be the story in Major League Baseball for all of the wrong reasons. Projected as the AL West Favorite and World Series Contender, they are now baseball's biggest disappointment early in the season.
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Robinson Cano hit a grand slam and drove in six runs, Nathan Karns threw seven shutout innings and the Seattle Mariners beat the Houston Astros 11-1 on Tuesday night.
Cano reached 1,000 RBIs in his career with a two-run single in the fifth and then crushed his seventh-inning grand slam.
Karns (2-1) allowed two hits and struck out six while walking three.
Reigning AL Cy Young winner Dallas Keuchel (2-3) pitched six innings of six-hit ball in the defeat. The left-hander allowed five runs while striking out five and walking two.
The Mariners took the lead in the fourth on a run-scoring single by Nelson Cruz.
Seattle added to its lead with a four-run fifth. Ketel Marte singled with the bases loaded to make it 2-0 and Cano followed with his two-run single. Marte scored on the play after Cano got caught in a rundown between first and second to make it 5-0.
Marte had his second three-hit night of the season and scored three runs, but the offensive star of the night was Cano, who hit his 10th-career grand slam and first since 2012. The six RBIs tie a career-high, which he had previously accomplished twice.
The Astros scored a run in the eighth off reliever Tony Zych, but the Mariners answered with two runs off catcher Erik Kratz, who took the mound in the bottom of the inning.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Astros: Starter Lance McCullers will pitch in an extended Spring Training game on Wednesday. McCullers is recovering from a sore shoulder.
SATURDAY STARTER
Chris Devenski will make his first Major League start Saturday against Oakland, taking Scott Feldman's spot in the rotation. Astros manager A.J. Hinch said the rookie right-hander may not permanently be in the rotation, but he wanted to give him a chance. Feldman, who is 0-2 with a 4.58 ERA in four starts, will be available to pitch out of the bullpen.
UP NEXT
Astros: Collin McHugh (1-3) looks to turn in a good outing after a pair of disappointing starts as the Astros attempt to avoid a three-game sweep to the Mariners on Wednesday. The right-hander has allowed 10 hits in each of the last two outings and a combined nine runs.
Mariners: Hisashi Iwakuma (0-2) will attempt to win his first game of the season as the Mariners try to earn a sweep of the Astros on Wednesday