Astros win home run derby against Mariners for 9th straight victory

Given the way balls were flying out of Minute Maid Park on Saturday night, perhaps Chris Berman should have been called in to broadcast this one. 

The Astros entered the game looking to extend their winning streak to nine games for the first time since 2006, but things didn't look good early. The Mariners blasted three home runs in the second inning with Nelson Cruz, Logan Morrison and Mike Zunino all going deep. It looked similar to the night before when Cruz and Morrison both went deep in the 9th inning of the Mariners' loss. 

The Astros wouldn't be behind for long, though. After pushing across two runs in the bottom half of the inning, Evan Gattis and Colby Rasmus went back-to-back in the third: 

One inning later, Jose Altuve, leading the AL in hits once again, used every muscle in his body to blast this one: 

With Luis Valbuena adding to his team-leading total with his sixth homer immediately afterward:

The Mariners tried to mount a comeback in the sixth inning when Nelson Cruz, who may actually be home runs personified, blasted one straight out of Houston. This ball may have even traveled through a wormhole to a fifth dimension of pure love. 

Had this game been played in a different ballpark, Logan Morrison would have followed Cruz's homer with one of his own for the third time in the last two days. Unfortunately for the Mariners first baseman, they were in Houston which meant that not only did the ball stay in the park, but Jake Marisnick ran a 5K and made the catch. 

Hank Conger added the last homer of the game with a drive in the seventh inning and the Astros would go on to win, 11-4.

While the nine combined home runs seem like a lot, they have nothing on the Tigers and White Sox. Those teams have twice combined for the Major League record of twelve home runs: May 28, 1995 and July 2, 2002.