Greinke sharp as Astros end 6-game skid, trip up Mariners

SEATTLE — Zack Greinke pitched eight sharp innings and rookie Taylor Jones drove in the only run as the depleted Houston Astros ended a six-game losing streak, edging the Seattle Mariners 1-0 on Saturday.

Greinke allowed four hits and walked none. He struck out six, two of them on 67 mph curveballs.

“That’s what aces do,” Astros manager Dusty Baker said. “Guys like him ... they stop the bleeding and we’re about bled out.”

Ryan Pressly pitched the ninth for his first save, but Baker said he considered letting Greinke go for the complete game after an eight-pitch eighth inning.

“It’s fun to watch him,” Pressly said. “I wish we had a better view instead of all the way out in the bullpen. It’s fun to watch how he manipulates pitches, the way he moves them in and out. We were talking about it in the clubhouse: He’s like an artist when he’s out there.”

Jones, from nearby Kent, Wash., hit an RBI single with two outs in the fourth. He has been pressed into service after five Astros — including starters Jose Altuve, Alex Bregman and Yordan Álvarez — were moved to the injured list Wednesday because of COVID-19 protocols.

Greinke, a six-time Gold Glover, made a brilliant defensive play in the fifth when he gathered in J.P. Crawford’s hard grounder, freezing two runners on base, and threw to third to start a double play. Greinke methodically surveyed each base before making the right decision to throw to third.

“There’s a million things going through your mind in a short time,” Greinke said.

Greinke finished the game with 2,705 career strikeouts. His teammate, Justin Verlander (18th at 3,013), and the Washington Nationals’ Max Scherzer (22nd at 2,808) are the only active players ahead of him on the career list.

“Sometimes you pitch and you think it’s really hard, and today it was fun,” Greinke said. “Things were happening how I wanted them to. It was nice.”

Seattle right-hander Chris Flexen (1-1) permitted 10 hits in six innings. He struck out three and walked none.

The Mariners had won three in a row.

“Greinke was on top of his game,” Seattle manager Scott Servais said. “We’ve seen him do that before. When he’s living on the edges like that, and then back and forth with the slow curveball, he’s tough to get out. He just didn’t make a lot of mistakes tonight.”

Houston Seattle

ab r h bi ab r h bi

Tucker rf 4 0 1 0 Haniger rf 4 0 0 0

Gurriel 1b 4 0 0 0 France dh 4 0 1 0

Brantley lf 4 1 2 0 Seager 3b 4 0 0 0

Correa ss 3 0 1 0 Torrens c 3 0 0 0

Diaz 2b 4 0 1 0 Marmolejs lf 3 0 1 0

Toro 3b 4 0 1 0 White 1b 3 0 1 0

Jones dh 4 0 1 1 Moore 2b 3 0 0 0

Castro c 4 0 1 0 Crawford ss 3 0 1 0

Straw cf 4 0 2 0 Haggerty cf 3 0 0 0

Totals 35 1 10 1 Totals 30 0 4 0

Houston 000 100 000 — 1

Seattle 000 000 000 — 0

DP—Houston 1, Seattle 2. LOB—Houston 8, Seattle 3. 2B—Brantley (5).

IP H R ER BB SO

Houston

Greinke W,2-1 8 4 0 0 0 6

Pressly S,1-1 1 0 0 0 0 1

Seattle

Flexen L,1-1 6 10 1 1 0 3

Sadler 1 0 0 0 0 0

Vest 1 0 0 0 1 2

Middleton 1 0 0 0 0 2

Flexen pitched to 2 batters in the 7th.

Umpires_Home, Ron Kulpa First, Brian O’Nora Second, Ryan Wills Third, Ryan Blakney.

T—2:36. A—8,960 (47,929).