Adam Frazier had just four hits on the Seattle Mariners’ seven-game trip to start the season.
He matched that total in the home opener Friday night.
Frazier went 4-for-5 with a double and triple, and matched his career high with four RBIs as the Mariners recorded an 11-1 win over the Houston Astros.
The American League West rivals will continue their three-game series Saturday night in Seattle.
Frazier was making his home debut as a member of the Mariners after being acquired in an offseason trade with San Diego.
He singled and scored in the first inning, hit a two-run triple in the fourth, singled and scored in the sixth and had a two-run double in the seventh.
“I felt like I had some tough luck on the road. First road trip, I guess,” Frazier said. “I felt good coming out of spring, then felt like I lost it a little bit. So, try to build on (Friday).”
The Mariners also got big contributions from fellow offseason acquisitions Jesse Winker and Eugenio Suarez, both of whom came over in a trade with Cincinnati.
Winker reached base in four of five plate appearances with two hits and two walks on Friday, and Suarez drove in three runs, capping the blowout with a two-run shot to right field in the eighth.
That was more than enough for left-hander Marco Gonzales, who allowed one run on four hits in seven innings.
“Offensively, we were due,” Mariners manager Scott Servais said. “We just got a lot of good hitters on this team and not a lot of luck early on.”
The Mariners will try to keep that going against Houston right-hander Justin Verlander (0-1, 1.80 ERA), who is scheduled to start Saturday.
Verlander, who missed all of last season after Tommy John surgery, was solid in his return last weekend. He allowed one run — a solo homer to the Los Angeles Angels’ Jared Walsh — on three hits in five innings. Verlander walked three and struck out seven but got no support in a 2-0 defeat.
“It kind of feels like my happy place,” Verlander said after his first appearance since July 24, 2020. “It’s like, ‘All right, this is business as usual,’ even though it’s been that long.
“It was a good day.”
Verlander, 39, is 16-9 with a 3.24 ERA in 31 career starts against Seattle.
The Mariners are set to counter with right-hander Chris Flexen (0-1, 6.23), who allowed three earned runs in 4 1/3 innings in his first start against Minnesota. Flexen is 0-3 with a 7.78 ERA in four career starts against the Astros.
Houston will be without designated hitter Yordan Alvarez, who was placed on the injured list Friday due to health and safety protocol.
Manager Dusty Baker said Alvarez had not tested positive for COVID-19, but he was feeling under the weather.
Alvarez has not played since the final day of the Astros’ opening series against the Angels last weekend.
The Astros recalled infielder Joe Perez from Double-A Corpus Christi to fill Alvarez’s roster spot.
–Field Level Media
