JP France had no easy task on Saturday. In the middle of a rough patch for the Astros, he was slated to make his MLB debut as their starter against the red-hot Seattle Mariners. The 28-year-old rookie turned out to have an outstanding debut but the Astros bullpen couldn’t do its job and the team dropped the lead on a 7x5 loss.
It was a forgettable, horrific eighth inning in which the Mariners pounded hard with seven runs against two of the best relievers for Houston in 2022. Rafael Montero and Ryne Stanek combined to allow seven hits and seven earned runs in just an inning, after France, Phil Maton, and Héctor Neris had gone seven scoreless.