Seattle Mariners players Jorge Polanco and Luke Raley both hit home runs and Andres Munoz

SEATTLE — Everything the Seattle Mariners wanted to do right, they did Sunday in their 6-4 win over the Houston Astros. There was the usual solid pitching, two homers, only three runners on base and the Mariners improved to 53-48 on the season.

“I thought our team played really hard today,” Mariners manager Scott Servais said in a postgame interview Sunday. “We knew where we were, we’re struggling, we’re on a losing streak that we haven’t seen here in a couple of years. … Offensively … A lot of good at-bats throughout the lineup. Good to see, certainly, (to) keep the strikeouts in check today.”

After the M’s left a runner in scoring position in the first innings, things began to open up in the second inning.

Mariners left fielder Dylan Moore hit a two-run triple off the left field wall in the bottom of the second to put his team up 2-0. It didn’t take long for the Astros to respond, with Yordan Alvarez (who hit for the 10th cycle in team history) belting a solo homer to right field in the top of the fourth.

Seattle answered with right back and second baseman Jorge Polanco hitting a solo home run to right field to put the Mariners back up by two. It was Polanco’s first home run since May 3 — also against Houston.

But the victory did not come without sacrifices for Seattle.

Alvarez hit an RBI triple in the top of the sixth to bring the Astros within one. On the same play, Mariners franchise star Julio Rodriguez ran into the wall while making a catch and grabbed his ankle. He left the game and did not return.

“Incredible effort (in the play) from Julio,” Servais said. “We are all concerned about where he is. The first X-rays are negative. He has a small ankle sprain there. At the moment, from what I have been told, it is a matter of day by day.”

Luke Raley rewarded Rodriguez’s efforts, hitting a three-run homer to right field to put Seattle up 6-2. It was Raley’s 11th homer of the year and snapped a six-game no-hit streak.

Houston nearly came back with a solo Jeremy Pena homerun in the seventh inning and a Chas McCormick RBI single an inning later. Those two hits brought the score to the eventual final score of 6-4.

Seattle’s All-Star reliever Andres Munoz stopped the rally in the ninth inning, striking out the Astros for his 16th save of the year.

The Mariners and Houston are now tied in the American League West standings, and it will be a sprint in the second half of the season for the division title.

That race begins Monday for the Mariners in the first of a three-game series against the Los Angeles Angels at 6:40 p.m. PT at T-Mobile Park. Bryce Miller starts on the mound. He’ll face Angels ace Tyler Anderson.

ASTROS MAKE MARINES PAY: The Seattle Mariners again failed to capitalize on scoring opportunities and squandered a lead in a 4-2 loss to the Houston Astros on Saturday. CLICK HERE

MARINERS’ CITY CONNECT UNIS LOSE THEIR CHARM: The Seattle Mariners lost their first game in their City Connect uniforms this season, falling 3-0 to the Houston Astros on Friday. CLICK HERE

RODRIGUEZ LEAVES THE RACE: Seattle Mariners star Julio Rodriguez was forced to leave Sunday’s game against the Houston Astros after hitting the left-center field wall in the sixth inning on a triple by Yordan Alvarez. CLICK HERE

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