SEATTLE — Jake Meyers hit a go-ahead two-run homer off former Houston reliever Ryne Stanek in the seventh inning, and the Astros beat the Seattle Mariners 4-2 on Saturday night to take sole possession of the AL West lead for the first time this year.
Stuck playing catchup through the first 3½ months of the season, Houston has won six of eight to climb into first place all alone.
''It's awesome to hear but I think it's the same thing as month one or month two being down 10, 12 games. I think we've adopted the same mindset of, we've just got to keep winning the game at hand and playing together, and we're a great team when we do that,'' Meyers said.
Seattle lost its fifth straight — its longest losing streak since dropping six in a row in May 2022 — and fell out of first place for the first time since May 11.
''This club is going through a lot of things. It happens through the course of a season," Mariners manager Scott Servais said. "We've got guys who are struggling right now to get some traction and get it going, and they know it. They feel it. And the team in the other dugout across the way is playing very good baseball right now.''
Meyers drove a 1-2 pitch from Stanek (6-3) to right-center field for his 11th homer. Stanek opened the inning by walking Jeremy Peña, and the homer by Meyers cost George Kirby the chance at a victory after he allowed one run in six innings.
Yainer Diaz added a solo homer in the eighth off reliever Trent Thornton that bounced off the top of the wall.
Julio Rodríguez snapped Seattle's 14-inning scoreless drought when his two-run homer off Framber Valdez gave the Mariners a 2-1 lead in the sixth. It was his 11th of the season and Rodríguez nearly hit a second longball in the eighth off Ryan Pressly only to watch Trey Cabbage make a leaping catch at the wall in right field.
