Rookie O’Malley delivers in debut

HOUSTON – For Shawn O’Malley, the privilege to put on a Mariners uniform is a little different from his teammates.

As a kid growing up in Kennewick, he idolized Ken Griffey Jr., Jay Buhner and Edgar Martinez and anyone who donned the Mariners’ colors. They were his team.

So it was admittedly a surreal experience having Martinez introduce himself in the clubhouse when he was called up from Triple-A Tacoma on Tuesday.

The living dream would continue Wednesday night with Martinez congratulating O’Malley for his third hit of the night, driving in the go-ahead run in what later became an 8-3 rout of the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park.

Seattle picked up a series win, taking two of three from the American League West leaders to improve to 63-71 on the season. It was the first time since June 26-27 that the Astros had lost back-to-back games at home and their first series loss since May 29-31.

With his wife and her family in the stands, his mom watching back home on television along with other friends in the Tri-Cities, O’Malley went 3 for 4 with a walk, two RBIs and a run scored in his Mariners debut.

“It was special,” he said. “My grandpa and father were huge Mariners fans.

“The fact that they (family and friends) got to see me starting a game in a Mariners uniform would be surreal to them. I’m glad I could make it somewhat special.”

But it was just as special for him.

“It’s awesome how things have changed,” he said. “You get older. I was like, ‘Man, I used to look up to (Martinez) when I was a little kid, and now you are high-fiving me and telling me how to hit.’ It was awesome.”

The game was in doubt going into the eighth inning, tied at 3-3.

A night after hitting a game-winning, pinch-hit home run off right-hander Pat Neshek, Logan Morrison was called on to pinch-hit against him again. There we would be no homer, but Morrison worked a nine-pitch walk.

“It got everything started,” manager Lloyd McClendon said.

Morrison assumed Neshek would be careful with him. “I figured he wasn’t going to lay a fastball in there for me,” Morrison said. “So he mixed it up.”

Morrison advanced to third on Jesus Sucre’s sacrifice bunt and a throwing error on Neshek, who tossed it over the head of Jose Altuve at first base.

It brought O’Malley to the plate. He already had an RBI single in his first at-bat, followed by a walk and another single.

He jumped on the first pitch from Neshek, dumping it into right field for his third hit of the night, scoring Morrison.

It looked as if the bullpen might spoil O’Malley’s night in the bottom of the eighth. But a leadoff double from Jed Lowrie never amounted to a run, with closer Tom Wilhelmsen getting the final two outs and adding a scoreless ninth for his ninth save. Seattle had a chance to break the 3-3 tie in the seventh inning. With runners on second and third and one out, Mark Trumbo hit a fly ball. Nelson Cruz tagged up and tested the arm of right fielder Colby Rasmus. But Rasmus delivered a perfect throw to home and Cruz was out by a step.

On the play, Cruz suffered a strained a right quad and was removed the game.

“He’s day-to-day now,” McClendon said.

Cruz said he actually felt the quad tighten as he was running to third when Kyle Seager got caught in a rundown.