Astros' Martín Maldonado admits team received a reality check after getting swept by Mariners: "A slap in the face"

The Houston Astros suffered a series sweep at the hands of their division rivals the Seattle Mariners. The M's closed the gap to the defending champions in the AL West leaderboard as an outcome of the series result.

After shutting out the Astros in the first game and securing a convincing 10-3 victory in the second, the Mariners were hoping to record a series sweep on the road. The M's got their wish, with a narrow 7-6 victory over Houston stretching their regular season record to 8-2 over their rivals.

In the game, the Mariners established a 6-0 lead by the top of the third. But thanks to some heroics from Yordan Alvarez, Yandy Diaz and Mauricio Dubon, Houston was able to come back in the game with a 5-run frame. However, Dylan Moore, who went 4-5, stretched the lead with an RBI single which was enough to hold on for the win.

The series loss necessitated a team meeting after the game for Houston who must be jittered. Senior player Martin Maldonado said that the meeting was needed to instill some life back into the players as they look to defend the World Series crown:

“Like I said to everybody after the game, this is one of the most disappointing parts of the … season,” he said. “This is a slap in the face and a wake-up call."

Martin Maldonado feels the Astros are giving games away

Teams currently head to Minute Maid Park with a real chance of defeating the Astros.

Maldonado added that it is their job to at least make them earn their wins:

“The key will be better energy in the dugout, not being satisfied after you lose. Everybody who comes here wants to beat us and we don’t make them earn it. We just feel like we’re just giving it away.”

The World Series champions are currently in the second AL Wild Card spot however hopes of clinching the division are still alive with the Texas Rangers just 2.5 games ahead.