Mariners’ Josh Naylor finally breaks season-opening slump with 2-homer game vs Astros

The Seattle Mariners and Houston Astros are in the finale of a 4-game series that extends to a rare Monday afternoon. Seattle has won each of the three games of the series, and they are on their way to sweeping the Astros to get back on track for the 2026 season. The Mariners began the series 4-9, but could enter the series against the San Diego Padres with an 8-9 record, looking much better.

As for the Astros, it’s been an odd start to the year, involving a few brooms. After sweeping the Boston Red Sox early in the season, they have responded with a series loss to the Athletics, followed by a series sweep by the Colorado Rockies. Now, the Astros are on the verge of eight straight losses to fall to 6-11 on the season. Funny enough, the Astros have an opportunity to bounce right back with another series against the Rockies starting on Tuesday.

First baseman Josh Naylor is taking it to the Astros on Monday afternoon. He has smashed two home runs to finally get going on the season.

Josh Naylor came into today with zero extra-base hits, -0.7 bWAR and a -8 OPS+

He's now homered twice in just three innings pic.twitter.com/h3p75AsROe

— Talkin' Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) April 13, 2026

Naylor launched a 3-run homer in the first inning. His batting average is now .131 on the season with his first two homers of the year. His OPS entering this game was a measly .299, which is shocking for the lefty slugger. Naylor is known for his power and has had many clutch moments in his career, especially in the postseason.

Over the weekend, the Mariners unveiled an Ichiro statue with a broken bat. Right as that happened, the Mariners’ bats started to wake up. Funny how that works.

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