Mariners blow out Astros in Hernandez’s return to the mound

Not that the Mariners will go quite this far, but Friday was something of a statement game with first-place Houston at Safeco Field for the start of a three-game weekend series.

The Mariners also had Felix Hernandez back on the mound for the first time in nearly two months. They had won five straight games, and pulled above .500 this season for the first time.

There are no "must" games in June, but this game, this weekend, offers the an opportunity for the Mariners, who are now finally getting healthy, to put down a marker as the season moves toward its midpoint.

"This is for real," center fielder Jarrod Dyson said. "We’re trying to do whatever we can because these are the guys we’re chasing…