Mariners beleaguered bullpen busts through, blasts ‘Stros in 3-1 win

May 11, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Seattle Mariners pitcher Andres Munoz (75) celebrates after getting the final out during the ninth inning against the Houston Astros at Daikin Park. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images Three runs of offense and five innings from a starter aren’t the typical blueprint for a Mariners win, but the bullpen – missing two of its leverage arms – made those three runs hold up in a 3-1 victory in the series opener with the Astros. This game got off to a frustrating start: the Mariners hit the ball hard in the first four batters but foul or into gloves – so of course the first hit to fall for the Mariners was an 87 mph exit velo parachute shot by Randy Arozarena with one out in the second.

Astros starter Peter Lambert struggled with the zone after that, walking Luke Raley on five pitches and falling behind J. P. Crawford 3-1 before he lined out to Cam Smith in right field, but Dominic Canzone made sure the Mariners would get something out of the traffic, smoking a line drive (104.

7 mph off the bat) that Astros left fielder Zach Cole couldn’t handle cleanly, allowing Arozarena to hustle home. Cole Young then ambushed a first-pitch fastball up but in the middle of the zone for his own hard-hit RBI single (103. 6 mph EV) to give the Mariners a 2-0 advantage and also treat us to some vintage Luke Raley Running.

Look at him chug home like he’s driving a chariot made out of scrap metal harvested from the shores of Lake Erie and tell me this does not spark joy: Your browser does not support the video tag. Download the video . Carrying forward the good vibes into the third, Julio eventually got his rightful homer.