HOUSTON — Robinson Cano homered early off Dallas Keuchel, then connected for a tiebreaking shot in the 10th inning Saturday night that led the Seattle Mariners over the Houston Astros 3-2.
Cano got four hits. He leads the majors with 32 RBI and tops the AL with 11 home runs.
Cano sent a pitch by Tony Sipp (0-2) into the seats in left field with one out in the 10th to give Seattle its fifth victory in six games. Cano has been especially good against the Astros, piling up 13 hits with four homers and 16 RBIs in six games.
Luis Valbuena hit a solo homer in the bottom of the ninth off Mariners reliever Steve Cishek (2-1) to tie it at 2. It was Valbuena’s first homer this year and the first run Cishek had allowed since April 8.
The wild game included Houston manager A.J. Hinch’s ejection in the eighth for arguing a strikeout by Carlos Correa, followed by Astros center fielder Carlos Gomez being ejected as he ran to his position in the 10th.
Gomez was tossed for arguing with the umpires and had to be pulled away by teammate George Springer, but it was unclear what exactly he was upset about. Gomez has struggled this season and was 0 for 4 with two strikeouts on Saturday.
Kyle Seager added a solo homer and tripled for the Mariners, who lead the AL West.
Seager put Seattle up 1-0 in the second with his home run off Keuchel, which bounced off the foul pole in right field.
Cano launched a 78 mph slider into the seats in right field with two outs in the third to make it 2-0.
Seattle starter Nathan Karns allowed six hits and one run with a season-high nine strikeouts in 6 1/3 innings. He’s struck out at least five batters in each of his first six starts this season.
Keuchel yielded eight hits and two runs while fanning eight in seven innings.
Karns had allowed just two hits — both singles — before a bunt single by Gonzalez with one out in the sixth inning. Correa followed with a single before a run-scoring double Colby Rasmus cut the lead to 2-1.
But Karns was able to limit the damage by striking out Preston Tucker and Gomez to end the inning.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Mariners: RHP Taijuan Walker was feeling better a day after neck spasms forced him to leave Friday night’s game after two innings, and he expects to make his next scheduled start on Wednesday. He hopes he feels good enough to throw a bullpen on Sunday, but if not he’ll just push it back until Monday.
Astros: 2B Jose Altuve was not in the starting lineup on Saturday because of a sore left index finger, but he entered the game as a pinch runner in the seventh inning. Altuve injured the finger when it came out of his glove and hit the ground as he was diving for a ball on Thursday night.
UP NEXT
Mariners: Hisashi Iwakuma (1-3, 4.03) will make his seventh start of the season in the series finale on Sunday. He got his first win in his last start by allowing four hits and one run in seven innings of a win over Oakland.
Astros: Collin McHugh (3-3, 6.59) looks for his third straight when in his seventh start this season on Sunday. He’s faced the Mariners more than any other team in his career and this will be his 10th start against them.
