For the first time in a very long time, the Houston Astros played a meaningful game in T-Mobile Park in Seattle.

With the majority of the 45,290 fans who helped Seattle set a season-high in attendance hurling insults towards the visiting Astros. It had a postseason feel familiar to Houston but probably caused some nervousness for Seattle since they have not made the playoffs since 2001.

To help bolster the euphoria that filled the bodies of Mariners fans eager for the first pitch was the fact that Seattle was the hottest team in the MLB before the All-Star break, having won 14-games in a row. A win against the AL West-leading Astros would not have only continued the streak, but it would help reduce the number of games the Mariners trail Houston in the standings from double-digits (10) to single-digits with two remaining games in the series.

All the hype and build-up to the game had the entire city of Seattle buzzing with hopes of showing Houston that their team had finally arrived. Most could feel the energy and intensity as the game started.

Three pitches into the game, Astros second baseman Jose Altuve snatched the baseball souls from Mariners fans as he sent a Marco Gonzales four-seam fastball 422 feet into center field to put Houston up 1-0. That set the tone for the game as the Astros defeated the Mariners 5-2 to win their third game in a row and end Seattle's 14-game winning streak.

"I think it set the tone a little bit," Altuve said to the media after the game. "Obviously, they're playing really good baseball, and just to be able to come today and put some good swings on the ball and win the game, it was really good for us."

Designated hitter Yordan Alvarez and catcher Martín Maldonado also hit solo home runs to help lead the Astros to victory. Alvarez, who is playing in his second consecutive game since coming off the 10-day IL with right-hand inflammation, also added a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the fifth inning, driving in another run for Houston.

Early run support helped starting pitcher Jose Urquidy who has struggled against the Mariners this season. In his last start against the Mariners on June 8, Urquidy allowed five runs on seven hits in just 4 1/3 innings. The 0-3 record and 10.38 ERA, this season against Seattle, was a significant concern for Astros manager Dusty Baker who needed him to have a solid outing since most of his bullpen had been overworked in a split doubleheader against the Yankees a day prior.

Urquidy maneuvered his way in and out of trouble over six innings allowing only one run and four hits as he improved to 9-4 on the season.

Houston would run into trouble in the bottom of the eighth inning when reliever Phil Maton loaded the bases and was replaced by Ryne Stanek, who gifted the Mariners their second run of the game by walking Eugenio Suarez.

After a brief mound visit from pitching coach Josh Miller, Stanek would fall behind to Kyle Lewis 2-0. His next pitch was a 97.9 MPH four-seam fastball that was smoked off the bat of Lewis and was headed into shallow center field that would have brought home two more runs.

But to the dismay of Mariners fans, rookie shortstop Jeremy Peña snatched the ball out of the air to save more runs, and Stanek would get the next batter to strike out swinging to prevent any more damage.

"I haven't seen Peña jump," said Dusty Baker. "Now I've seen him jump. He said he had some more in the tank, but I don't know how much more. That was big because they were rallying, the crowd was into it, and they were trying to urge them on for [win] No. 15, but I am just glad we held on and won the game."

Houston will send their ace Justin Verlander to the mound to face Seattle in game two of the series on Saturday. The first pitch is at 3:10 pm CST.