HERNANDEZ DEBUTS WITH 7-RBI EFFORT

Astros Rout M's, Young

HOUSTON, July 2 (AP) - Kike Hernandez drove in seven runs in his big league debut, including a fifth inning grand slam, powering the Houston Astros past the Seattle Mariners 11-5 at Minute Maid Park.  The seven-RBI effort matches the major league season high, previously achieved by three other players:  Oswaldo Arcia of the Twins, Troy Tulowitzki of the Rockies and David Murphy of the Indians. 

Astros right fielder George Springer continued his torrid stretch, homering for the third consecutive game and for the fourth time in the last three games.  Springer has now hit seven home runs in his last seven games and nine in his last 11 contests.  In that 11-game span, since June 21, Springer has a 1.508 OPS with 13 runs scored and 18 RBIs.

Houston took a lead in the first inning and never looked back.  With one out, Alex Presley doubled off Mariners starter Chris Young and trotted home on Springer's two-run shot.

Seattle cut into the lead in the top of the second when Astros starter Brad Peacock struggled with his control.  John Buck singled with one out and was forced at second by Michael Saunders' fielder's choice grounder.  But Peacock then lost all semblance of control, issuing consecutive walks to Dustin Ackley, Brad Miller and Endy Chavez, forcing in a run.  James Jones struck out to end the inning. 

Peacock struggled to find home plate for the duration of his stint on the mound, walking a total of seven batters in just five innings of work.  But, wild as Peacock was, he proved to be effective.  The bases loaded free pass to Chavez in the second was the only run he allowed.

The Astros got the run back, and then some, in the bottom of the second.  With one out, Domingo Santana doubled and Hernandez followed with a base hit to center field, picking up his first career RBI when Santana raced home.  Marwin Gonzalez drew a walk from Young and Jose Altuve made it 5-1 with a double to right-center, scoring both baserunners.

Houston added two more runs in the third when Carlos Corporan singled with one out and advanced to third on Santana's second consecutive two-bagger.  Both runners scored on Hernandez's second RBI-single of the contest.

Finally, in the fifth, Hernandez supplied the coup-de-grace.  Reliever Tom Wilhelmsen was in his third inning of work and started to run out of gas.  With one out, he walked Matt Dominguez, Corporan and Santana on a total of 12 pitches.  It all happened so quickly that the Mariners didn't have time to get a relief pitcher ready.  Joe Beimel was just getting loose in the Seattle bullpen when Hernandez, sitting on a first pitch fastball from Wilhelmsen after 12 straight balls, got what he was looking for and deposited it deep in the Crawford Boxes, just inside the left field foul pole for a grand slam and an 11-1 lead.  It was just the second grand slam for an Astros hitter this year; Presley hit one in a 7-6 Houston victory over Kansas City at Minute Maid Park on April 15.

The Mariners nicked the Astros bullpen for four consolation runs--three of them in the ninth on Saunders' seventh home run of the year--but it was far too little too late.

After a dismal start of the season that left them with a 10-30 record in mid-May, the Astros are a respectable 24-22 ever since.  Since the beginning of June, the club is 17-12.

7/2/2014, Sea14-Hou14, Minute Maid Park

                       1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9     R  H  E   LOB DP
2014 Mariners          0  1  0  0  0  1  0  0  3     5 11  1    12  0
2014 Astros            2  3  2  0  4  0  0  0  x    11 10  1     6  2

Mariners             AB  R  H BI   AVG    Astros               AB  R  H BI   AVG
Chavez,En         dh  3  0  1  1  .255    Altuve            2b  5  0  2  2  .398
Jones,J           cf  5  1  1  0  .241    Presley           cf  5  1  1  0  .228
Cano              2b  5  0  4  1  .311    Springer          rf  3  1  1  2  .242
Seager            3b  5  1  1  0  .290    Singleton         1b  4  0  0  0  .194
Morrison          1b  5  0  1  0  .160    Dominguez,M       3b  3  1  0  0  .238
Buck              c   4  1  1  0  .195    Corporan          c   3  2  1  0  .262
Saunders,M        rf  4  2  1  3  .322    Santana,Do        lf  3  3  2  0  .286
Ackley            lf  4  0  1  0  .270     Hoes             lf  0  0  0  0  .167
Miller,B          ss  2  0  0  0  .190    Hernandez,E       dh  4  2  3  7  .750
                     37  5 11  5          Gonzalez,Ma       ss  3  1  0  0  .242
                                                               33 11 10 11

Mariners                         INN  H  R ER BB  K PCH STR   ERA
Young,CR         L 7-6           2.2  8  7  7  2  2  55  30  3.39
Wilhelmsen                       2.1  1  4  4  3  1  45  21  5.22
Beimel                           1.0  0  0  0  2  0  19   9  2.00
Farquhar                         2.0  1  0  0  1  4  41  27  2.01
                                 8.0 10 11 11  8  7 160  87

Astros                           INN  H  R ER BB  K PCH STR   ERA
Peacock          W 3-7           5.0  6  1  1  7  4 105  59  5.16
Bass             S 2             4.0  5  4  1  0  2  56  43  4.44
                                 9.0 11  5  2  7  6 161 102

Hou: Hoes inserted at lf in the 9th

E-Jones,J, Dominguez,M. 2B-Cano(18), Altuve(23), Presley(1), Santana,Do 2(2).
HR-Saunders,M(7), Springer(17), Hernandez,E(1). RBI-Chavez,En(6), Cano(35),
Saunders,M 3(33), Altuve 2(32), Springer 2(43), Hernandez,E 7(7).
K-Jones,J 2, Seager, Morrison, Buck, Miller,B, Springer 2, Singleton,
Dominguez,M 2, Hernandez,E, Gonzalez,Ma. BB-Chavez,En 2, Buck, Saunders,M,
Ackley, Miller,B 2, Springer 2, Singleton, Dominguez,M 2, Corporan,
Santana,Do, Gonzalez,Ma. BALK-Farquhar.
GWRBI: Springer
Temperature: 78, Sky: partly cloudy, Wind: out to left at 15 MPH.
Attendance: 26,311
Game Time: 2:56