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 For the Astros, the inexplicable nightly gaffes aren't a laughing
matter. After the latest defeat, Houston's seventh in eight games,
starter Dallas Keuchel's mood was as serious as a heart attack.
"We're still playing sloppy, and it's not going to change until
something ... until some people play well," said Keuchel, who
allowed five runs off six hits over six innings for his second
consecutive rough outing. "This is the highest level you can go, and
I think some people take that for granted. That's not the way it
should be."
Keuchel (2-3) got out-dueled by Seattle starter Nathan Karns on a
night when the Mariners' Cano provided plenty of offense.
Cano recorded his 1,000th career RBI with a two-run single in the
fifth, and then he tagged on a seventh-inning grand slam that opened
up a 9-0 lead. The slam was the 10th of Cano's career and his first
since 2012.
"Those are the memories you can talk about with your kid," Cano
said. "It was big, especially against Keuchel."
 The Mariners (11-9) scored five runs in six innings against Dallas
Keuchel, the reigning AL Cy Young winner, and finished the night
with 13 hits.
Karns (2-1) allowed just two hits and three walks while striking out
six. He turned the game over to the Seattle bullpen with a nine-run
lead.
"I was just tired of not doing what I'm capable of doing," said
Karns, who went into the game with a 5.28 ERA in his first season
with Seattle.
Keuchel (2-3) struggled for the second consecutive start, allowing
six hits and two walks while striking out five. His season ERA has
ballooned from 2.18 to 4.41 in a span of two starts.
"He was very good early but really ran into trouble in (the fifth),"
manager A.J. Hinch said. "We just couldn't get the inning to stop."
After the game, Keuchel was throwing heaters at his team's lack of
execution.
"We've got people busting their tails and doing everything they
possibly can, but it's just not a cohesive unit," he said. "Until we
are, it won't look pretty -- and that's just the way it is. ... It's
nine individuals playing as a team, and that's just not the way
we're doing it. We're doing uncharacteristic things, certain guys.
We've got to play better."
Seattle won for the sixth time in seven games and is two games over
.500 for the first time since the conclusion of an 87-75 season in
2014.
The Astros (6-15) managed three hits in the loss, their seventh in
eight games.
The Mariners used a four-run fifth inning to jump out to a 5-0 lead.
Seattle shortstop Ketel Marte went 3-for-5 with three runs and two
RBIs. Nelson Cruz, Chris Iannetta and Dae-Ho Lee added two hits
apiece for the Mariners.
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Houston finally got on the board in the top of the eighth, when
right fielder George Springer's RBI double off reliever Tony Zych
cut the deficit to 9-1. Things got so bad for the Astros that backup
catcher Erik Kratz came on to pitch in the bottom of the eighth
inning. Kratz, making his debut on the mound, allowed three singles
and a pair of runs while throwing two wild pitches.
Cano capped off a four-run bottom of the fifth inning with a two-run
single. The play actually resulted in three runs after Cano got
caught in a rundown between first and second base, allowing Marte to
score from third base on an errant throw to the plate. That run put
the Mariners ahead 5-0 while leaving Cano at second base with two
outs.
Cano needed 1,708 games to reach 1,000 career RBIs, making him the
fifth-fastest second baseman to accomplish the feat.
Cano's night wasn't flawless, however, as he gave the Astros an
extra at-bat in the top of the seventh while losing track of outs.
With one out and a runner on first base, Cano took a throw from
Marte at shortstop and lackadaisically stepped on second base
without even trying to turn the inning-ending double play. Cano
admitted afterward that he thought his play at second base had
accounted for the third out.
"I've been in this game so long, that can't happen," Cano said
afterward. "There are no excuses for that."
NOTES: Houston led the American League with 202 strikeouts heading
into Tuesday's games. The Astros added five more strikeouts in the
loss while accounting for only three hits. ... The Astros' loss
Tuesday dropped their all-time record at Safeco Field to 19-14,
still Houston's best mark in any road stadium. ... An 11-9 record
allowed the Mariners to maintain their spot atop the American League
West, marking the latest in a season Seattle has been in first place
since the 2009 season. ... RHP Taijuan Walker (2-0) became the first
Seattle pitcher to record two wins this season when he beat Houston
on Monday night. Nine different pitchers earned victories over the
Mariners' first nine wins of the season. ... Mariners CF Leonys
Martin, who hit home runs in back-to-back games Sunday and Monday,
was not in the lineup Tuesday because the Astros were starting a
left-handed pitcher, Dallas Keuchel.
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