Verlander 1st 13-game winner, Astros beat Mariners 3-1

SEATTLE (AP) — Justin Verlander became the major leagues’ first 13-game winner, striking out nine and topping 99 mph in his final inning to lead the Houston Astros over the Seattle Mariners 3-1 on Saturday.

Verlander (13-3) allowed four hits in seven innings to win his fifth straight start and lower his ERA to 1.86, second in the American League to Shane McClanahan’s 1.71 for Tampa Bay.

A 39-year-old right-hander who missed last season while recovering from Tommy John surgery, Verlander averaged 96.3 mph with his fastball, 1.4 mph above his season average coming in.

“I feel like I haven’t been able to let it go like that in a long time,” Verlander said.

He said he was throwing the ball recently on an off day and tried a different arm path. He saw positive results in his last start before the All-Star break.

‘It was a solid one tick up,” he said. “I was able to do that again today and a lot more times, so I’m definitely happy and a bit surprised. Surprise is the wrong word — I was hopeful that this could happen.”

Verlander retired 15 straight between Adam Frazier’s second-inning single and Carlos Santana’s ninth home run, which cut the lead to 2-1 in the seventh. Seattle loaded the bases on walks by Eugenio Suárez and pinch-hitter Kyle Lewis around Frazier’s single, and Verlander struck out No. 9 hitter Sam Haggerty on his 101st and final pitch, clocked at 97.4 mph.

Verlander has allowed one earned run or fewer in seven of his last eight starts.

“I remember the greats, Bob Gibson and (Tom) Seaver, and I told him, ‘You know, when they were in trouble, they knew how to pitch out of trouble,’” Houston manager Dusty Baker said. “The mark of a good pitcher is figuring out how to get either a double play or a popup or a strikeout, and I tell you, that one that was great. I mean, we needed that. He needed it. We’re operating on fumes today, so I’ll say that was a great victory.”

Kyle Tucker and Yuli Gurriel hit RBI doubles in the fourth to help the Astros to their fourth consecutive win and send Seattle to its second straight loss after a 14-game winning streak.

Houston is 27-9 since June 12 and ended the Mariners’ streak of eight consecutive winning series.

Logan Gilbert (10-4) gave up two runs and five hits in six innings with eight strikeouts and one walk. He struck out his first four batters, but gave up back-to-back doubles to Gurriel and Tucker with two outs in the fourth after his only walk, to Yordan Álvarez.

Jose Altuve scored on Ryan Boruki’s wild pitch in the eighth.

Bryan Abreu got three straight outs to finish the four-hitter for his second big league save, his first since May 26 last year.

Woodruff, Renfroe help Brewers beat Rockies 9-4

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Brandon Woodruff pitched six strong innings, Hunter Renfroe hit a three-run homer and the Milwaukee Brewers beat the Colorado Rockies 9-4 on Saturday night.

Woodruff (8-3) improved to 3-0 with a 2.20 ERA in five starts since coming off the injured list June 27. He had a right ankle sprain and Raynaud’s Syndrome, which affected his pitching fingers.

“Honestly, getting the breaking stuff over early in the count was also big,” Woodruff said. “They’re tough to strike out.”

The right-hander allowed a run on six hits, struck out eight and walked one to help the Brewers extend their winning streak against the Rockies to a franchise-best seven games.

Colorado has not won in Milwaukee since an 11-6 victory on May 2, 2019.

Renfroe and the Brewers finally got to Rockies starter and former teammate José Ureña (1-2) in the fourth. Andrew McCutchen walked and Kolten Wong singled before Renfroe crushed a 98 mph sinker 424 feet to left-center.

“The pitch he threw me was a good pitch,” Renfroe said. “He had good stuff tonight.”

The Rockies had just turned a crisp double play, but a walk and a base hit set the table for Renfroe’s 15th home run of the season.

“He walked McCutchen with two outs after a double play. Ill-advised,” Rockies manager Bud Black said. “Then a base hit by Wong and the three-run homer on a decent pitch. It was a pitcher’s pitch. Renfroe’s got power, golfed it out of the ballpark. Strong guy.”

Renfroe also hit a two-run homer in the 10th inning Friday night that tied the game at 5.

“I’m seeing the ball real well right now,” he said. “That’s a big part of it.”

Woodruff liked the power display Renfroe is putting on.

“He’s always had that type of power,” Woodruff said. “It’s awesome to see him hit those balls so far.”

Milwaukee broke it open with five runs in the sixth.

Wong chased Ureña with an RBI single. Renfroe greeted Jhoulys Chacín with a slow roller to third that went for an infield single to load the bases. Victor Caratini smacked a two-run double, and Renfroe scored on a wild pitch. Christain Yelich added a run-scoring single.

“Just couldn’t string enough pitches together through the sixth inning when he tried to pick up José,” Black said of Chacín’s tough outing.

Tyrone Taylor tacked on an RBI single for Milwaukee in the eighth.

Ureña struck out a season-high five, including Yelich three times, but came up short in his bid for consecutive wins in his third start for the Rockies. He allowed five hits over six innings and beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 2-0 in his previous outing on July 16.

Ureña was designated for assignment by the Brewers on May 9 after four relief appearances. The Rockies signed him to a minor league deal May 16 and then selected his contract from Triple-A Albuquerque on July 6.