Houston Astros starting pitcher Tatsuya Imai walks back to the dugout after being taken out of the game during the first inning of a baseball game against the Seattle Mariners, Friday, April 10, 2026, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
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Houston Astros starting pitcher Tatsuya Imai sits in the dugout after being taken out of the game during the first inning of a baseball game against the Seattle Mariners, Friday, April 10, 2026, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
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Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh talks with starting pitcher Emerson Hancock on the mound during the second inning of a baseball game against the Houston Astros, Friday, April 10, 2026, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
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Houston Astros’ Christian Vázquez hits a three-run double against the Seattle Mariners during the second inning of a baseball game, Friday, April 10, 2026, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
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Houston Astros’ Christian Walker (8) and Isaac Paredes (15) signal as Carlos Correa (1) homes home as they all score on a three-run double from Christian Vázquez against the Seattle Mariners during the second inning of a baseball game, Friday, April 10, 2026, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
Lindsey Wasson/Associated Press
Houston Astros’ Christian Vázquez reacts after hitting a three-run double against the Seattle Mariners during the second inning of a baseball game, Friday, April 10, 2026, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
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Houston Astros’ Carlos Correa is greeted in the dugout after scoring on a three-run double from Christian Vázquez during the second inning of a baseball game against the Seattle Mariners, Friday, April 10, 2026, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
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Seattle Mariners’ Leo Rivas hits a single against the Houston Astros during the fourth inning of a baseball game, Friday, April 10, 2026, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
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Houston Astros right fielder Cam Smith catches a fly ball off the bat of Seattle Mariners’ Cal Raleigh during the fourth inning of a baseball game, Friday, April 10, 2026, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
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Houston Astros starting pitcher Tatsuya Imai reacts after allowing a single against Seattle Mariners’ Julio Rodríguez during the first inning of a baseball game, Friday, April 10, 2026, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
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Seattle Mariners’ Cal Raleigh greets teammate Luke Raley, facing, while scoring after Houston Astros starting pitcher Tatsuya Imai hit Mariners’ Randy Arozarena with the bases loaded during the first inning of a baseball game, Friday, April 10, 2026, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
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Seattle Mariners’ Randy Arozarena is hit by a pitch from Houston Astros starting pitcher Tatsuya Imai during the first inning of a baseball game, Friday, April 10, 2026, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
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Seattle Mariners’ J.P. Crawford greets Josh Naylor (12) after scoring on a wild pitch from Houston Astros starting pitcher Tatsuya Imai during the first inning of a baseball game, Friday, April 10, 2026, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
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Houston Astros catcher Christian Vázquez watches as Seattle Mariners’ J.P. Crawford is called safe while scoring on a wild pitch from Astros starting pitcher Tatsuya Imai during the first inning of a baseball game, Friday, April 10, 2026, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
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Seattle Mariners’ J.P. Crawford steals home to score in front of Houston Astros starting pitcher Tatsuya Imai after he threw a wild pitch during the first inning of a baseball game, Friday, April 10, 2026, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
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Houston Astros starting pitcher Tatsuya Imai throws against the Seattle Mariners during the first inning of a baseball game, Friday, April 10, 2026, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
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SEATTLE — Against a wild Tatsuya Imai, the Seattle Mariners built a three-run lead in Friday’s first inning without hitting a ball out of the infield. A drive into the second deck at T-Mobile Park, then, proved the defining blow in a fifth consecutive defeat for the Houston Astros.
Randy Arozarena delivered the fifth-inning blast against Ryan Weiss, the Astros’ third pitcher of the night, and enjoyed it. Arozarena held his follow-through in the batter’s box, admiring its flight. He flipped his bat all the way to Seattle’s dugout as he began his trot around the bases.
Arozarena’s two-run home run untied the game. The Mariners added on with a four-run seventh. That proved enough to hand the Astros a 9-6 loss in the opener of a four-game series between scuffling AL West heavyweights.
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Houston’s five-game losing streak matches the longest it endured last season. Its pitching is a problem. The Astros entered Friday with the majors’ second-highest team ERA and watched it climb. In three of the losses on this streak, their offense has scored at least six runs.
Even down 9-3 after seven innings, the Astros brought the tying run to the plate in the ninth against Mariners closer Andrés Muñoz. Joey Loperfido and Taylor Trammell worked two-out walks. Jeremy Peña’s grounder was scooped by third baseman Leo Rivas, who stepped on third to end the game.
Making his third MLB start, Imai authored a disastrous outing. At the onset of a stretch of 13 games with no off-day, and in the wake of two Houston starters landing on the injured list in the past week, Imai did not finish an inning, further taxing a bullpen worked heavily last series at Coors Field.
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Imai faced seven hitters. He retired one. Four drew walks. One was hit by a pitch and another beat an infield single. The Mariners did not hit a ball out of the infield before Imai was removed from his start. He threw 37 pitches, 17 for strikes, and departed with the Astros already trailing 3-0.
Steven Okert salved the situation. Okert stranded the bases loaded in the first and retired Seattle’s top three hitters in the second. Houston erased the deficit in the top of the second. Christian Vázquez, the light-hitting backup catcher, delivered a two-out, bases-loaded double to make it 3-3.
The Astros had loaded the bases with no outs. Mariners right-hander Emerson Hancock threatened to escape, retiring Cam Smith on a lineout and striking out Loperfido. Vázquez reset the score. Houston still faced navigating the rest of the game with its well-worked bullpen.
Ryan Weiss entered in the third. Four days after throwing 62 pitches in Denver, Weiss threw another 64 to procure seven outs. Randy Arozarena annihilated a 3-1 fastball for a two-run home run in the fifth to break a tied game. Following Vázquez’s clutch hit, the Astros’ lineup fell quiet until late.
Hancock induced a double-play grounder from Isaac Paredes to erase a leadoff walk in the third. Loperfido singled to begin the fifth and was thrown out stealing second. Yordan Alvarez singled to open the sixth against reliever Gabe Speier, who plunked Paredes on the foot with one out.
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That gave Houston its first runner in scoring position since the second. Speier promptly got Christian Walker to bounce into an inning-ending double play. Alvarez crushed a slider from Cole Wilcox for a three-run homer in the eighth. By then, it only halved a six-run deficit.
J.P. France, just called up from Triple-A, replaced Weiss in the fifth. Of the 15 batters he faced, France walked four and hit one. It hurt in the seventh inning. The Mariners’ first five hitters all reached. Four scored. Five Astros pitchers worked in the game, the start of a grueling stretch.
Wildness from Imai
After losing starters Hunter Brown and Cristian Javier to shoulder injuries in the last week and leaving Coors Field with their pitching staff in tatters, the Astros sought an effective start from Imai on Friday.
They received the opposite. Imai lacked command from pitch one. His fastball sprayed. His slider was not much more effective. Seattle leadoff man J.P. Crawford didn’t take a swing in a five-pitch walk. Cal Raleigh fell behind 0-2 but worked a seven-pitch walk.
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Imai got ahead 0-2 on Julio Rodríguez, as well, and induced a weak chopper. But it cleared his head and went for an infield single, a tough break that loaded the bases and from which Imai did not recover.
His next pitch bounced, scoring a run. He got ahead 1-2 against Josh Naylor and again could not put the hitter away. Naylor walked on seven pitches. Houston’s bullpen got active. In a 1-2 count, Imai loosed a slider that hit Arozarena. Luke Raley’s bouncer to the right side finally produced an out.
Second baseman Isaac Paredes tried to tag Arozarena as he passed before throwing to first. Arozarena was called out but signaled to Seattle’s dugout to challenge. The Mariners did, successfully. Imai faced one more batter, Young, and walked him to load the bases.
Astros manager Joe Espada, having seen enough, emerged to remove Imai. The right-hander threw 37 pitches, just 17 for strikes. He induced one whiff on 13 swings. He departed with his bullpen having to cover 7 2/3 innings at least.
The battery
Although the Astros were off Thursday — and primary catcher Yainer Diaz did not appear in Wednesday’s series finale at Coors Field — Vázquez started behind the plate Friday.
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Vázquez has caught all three of Imai’s starts with Houston. Manager Joe Espada indicated Friday that he intends to keep that pairing intact for the foreseeable future.
“Not throughout the season, but right now I feel like it’s important for the transition of Imai to the major leagues and just to continue to build some stability in our rotation,” Espada said pregame. “I think both him and Christian have worked really well, so the plan is just to at least continue that going as we go.”
After his second start, Imai complimented Vázquez’s pitch-calling against the A’s, noting that “he would change it up in terms of timing so the batters would be thrown off.” Vázquez has started just two games paired with other pitchers this season, catching Mike Burrows and Cristian Javier once each.
Injury notes
Outfielder-infielder Zach Dezenzo is expected to start a minor-league rehab “soon” in his return from a right elbow sprain, Espada said Friday. Dezenzo, who was sidelined by an elbow injury late last season, aggravated the elbow while playing for Team Italy in the World Baseball Classic.
Espada said Dezenzo will be limited to DH at-bats early during his rehab assignment, then progress to playing in the field.
Reliever Bennett Sousa is scheduled for a rehab outing Saturday at Triple-A Sugar Land in his recovery from an oblique strain. Nate Pearson is also slated to pitch in a game Saturday at the Astros’ facility in West Palm Beach, Fla., in his recovery from an elbow setback this spring.