Mariners take series finale against Astros to regain share of AL West lead

SEATTLE – Even before the Mariners earned what might have been their most important win of the year, Scott Servais received about as important of an answer as he could have wanted about the state of his team and how it would respond in the wake of the biggest crisis of the season.

“Whether we won or lost the game today, it’s about how we went about it,’’ Servais said following Seattle’s 6-4 win over Houston that moved the Mariners (53-48) back into a virtual tie with the Astros (52-47) for first place in the American League West. “We really competed hard. The number of guys in the lineup grinding through at-bats, finding a way to put the ball in play to make things happen. … That’s what it’s going to take to win. They are good. They are really good and they have been here before. I think we are just as good, but we’ve got to continue to have that intensity every day when we show up.’’

There was reason to doubt that the Mariners might have that when they showed up Sunday for a game that started roughly 16 hours after they suffered a disheartening 4-2 defeat to extend their losing streak to five games – they haven’t had a longer skid in more than two years.

But that doubt was washed away for good in a moment that served as the game’s scariest, and ultimately defining, play when star center fielder Julio Rodriguez crashed into the outfield wall in the top of the sixth inning chasing a long drive from Houston’s Yordan Alvarez. Rodriguez used his right foot to brace for his leap, and momentarily appeared to snare what would have been an inning-ending catch.

The ball, instead, fell out of his glove as Rodriguez grabbed for his right ankle, which twisted into the wall, allowing a run to score and cut the lead to 3-2.

And for a few anxious moments, it was tempting to wonder if not only would Rodriguez be able to recover, but if the Mariners would, as well.

Rodriguez, though, was eventually able to walk off under his own power and later listed as day-to-day with a sprained ankle, with initial X-rays negative for any significant damage.

Servais began his post-game interview referencing the play as an example of how hard he thought the team played Sunday.

“We knew where we’re at,’’ Servais said of the losing streak and Houston’s win Saturday night dropping Seattle into second place for the first time since May 11. “I think the guys, the struggles they’ve had and the excitement and the expectations around our season and not playing well over the. Last few weeks, you want to go out and really compete. And that’s what I’m most proud of.’’

The heady play began at the beginning when Dylan Moore got the kind of hit Seattle has so often failed to get of late – a two-out, two-run triple on a 3-2 pitch in the bottom of the second inning to make it 2-0. Moore fouled off the pitch before from Ronel Blanco before lining a shot into the gap in left-center.

“The D-Mo hit early in the game when we’ve been struggling to get a big hit with two outs and he got one, that kind of opened up the flood gates and guys kind of relaxed a little bit after that happens,’’ Servais said.

Still, it’s never going to be easy against the Astros.

Alvarez got a run back for Houston in the fourth when he smashed a Bryan Woo pitch off the facing of upper deck in right field.

That helped Alvarez finish with cycle – he got a triple on the Rodriguez play as well as a single in the first and a double in the eighth – just the second in the history of T-Mobile Park (the first from Oakland’s Miguel Tejada on Sept. 29, 2001), the eighth against Seattle and the 10th in Houston history.

Seattle got one back in the bottom of the inning on a Jorge Polanco homer to right.

Then came a crazy sixth inning. A broken bat single from Jose Altuve put runners on first and third with no outs.

Then came controversy as Alex Bregman lined one to Seattle shortstop J.P. Crawford. Altuve held up, assuming Crawford would catch it. Only, the ball fell out of Crawford’s glove, who then quickly recovered it to turn a 6-4-3 double play.

“We got a break,’’ Servais said. “Turned it into a double play and you move on down the road.’’

Was it really just that innocent?

“You know, it just popped out of his glove,’’ Servais insisted.

Houston manager Joe Espada wasn’t so sure, arguing that Crawford dropped it intentionally and the play should have been ruled as just one out and Altuve remaining on first.

“That’s a Gold Glove shortstop, every time the ball goes in his glove the ball stays in his glove,’’ Espada told reporters afterward. “They missed that call, I think it was clear. But they got together and they disagreed with my argument.’

Still, when Rodriguez’ heroics weren’t enough to catch Alvarez’s drive and a run score and the game was 3-2, it was tempting to think the collapse was on.

Instead, Taylor Saucedo got a strikeout to end the inning.

And then in as big of a half-inning as any all season, Seattle scored three runs in the bottom of the frame. With two outs, struggling Mitch Haniger singled on a 1-2 pitch to put runners on first and third. And then Luke Raley, locked in an 0-21 slump, hit the first pitch he saw from Houston reliever Seth Martinez, a 79-mile an hour sweeper, into the field seats for a three-run shot and a 6-2 lead.

Servais said of three-run homers “they are tough to come back from.’’

And indeed this one was. Houston got lone runs in the seventh and eighth –- the latter scored by Alvarez following his cycle-achieving double. But Andres Munoz struck out the side in the top of the ninth and Seattle had won for the first time since July 11.

Espada said he still felt good about the weekend with Houston winning the first two games to momentarily move into first for the first time all season.

“We wanted to come here and win a series and we did that,’’ he said. “… I thought we did what we needed to come in here and get back in this race. Really almost felt like a playoff series.’’

Servais wouldn’t have argued that latter point, not bothering to call the game just one of 162, knowing the two teams won’t play again until a three-game series in Houston from Sept. 23-25.

“The biggest thing for our group coming out of this game, we’ve got to continue to carry this forward,’’ he said. “We’ve got to win the next series (against the Angels). We haven’t done that here over the last few weeks.’’