HOUSTON (AP) — Abraham Toro pinch-hit for injured All-Star Julio Rodriguez and delivered a two-run single with two outs in the ninth inning as the Seattle Mariners rallied past the AL-West leading Houston Astros 5-4 on Saturday night.
Rodriguez was hit on the back of the hand as he swung at a pitch in the top of the eighth inning. He struck out, but played in the field in the bottom half of the inning before being lifted in the ninth.
Seattle manager Scott Servais said Rodriguez would get X-rays later Saturday.
“He did not feel comfortable with a bat in his hand,” Servais said. “So, we’ll pray that it is not broke.”
The 21-year-old Rodriguez, who was 0 for 4 with three strikeouts, has 18 homers and 57 RBIs and is batting .274 in his rookie season.
The Mariners beat Houston for the first time since June 8, snapping a five-game losing streak to the Astros.
Ryan Pressly (3-3) entered the ninth inning having converted 21 of his 24 save opportunities this season. Pressly gave up two runs on two hits, walked one and struck out two in the loss in his first blown save since June 23, which came against the New York Yankees.
“He’s somebody that is generally aggressive, so I know he likes to attack the zone,” Toro, who played parts of three seasons with Houston, said of Pressly. “I was already swinging from the get-go.”
Astros manager Dusty Baker added: “He has been a thorn in our side since we traded him over there. It was a big hit that he got tonight.”
Erik Swanson (2-0) pitched a scoreless eighth inning and earned the win, and Paul Sewald recorded his 13th save in 16 attempts.
“We’ve had some crazy come-from-behind wins, crazy games since I’ve been here,” Servais said. “This one may be near the top of the list with all the…
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