SEATTLE -- A Mariners squad that has struggled to overcome poor starting pitching early in the season saw that pattern flipped Tuesday night when a late bullpen meltdown spoiled a solid outing from young right-hander Taijuan Walker in a 6-3 loss to the Astros.
Walker allowed just one run on four hits in 5 1/3 innings, a marked improvement for the 22-year-old after he'd been beaten up in two previous starts and came in with a 17.18 ERA. That mark lowered to 10.66 with his first outing of more than four frames, but he missed out on his first victory of the season when Houston rallied for five runs in the eighth off relievers Charlie Furbush and Danny Farquhar.