SEATTLE -- Nick Tropeano's first big league strikeout came against Austin Jackson, who happened to be the first batter he faced in his career. About two hours later, Astros teammate Jose Altuve lined a single into left field for his 200th hit. Simply put, it was a night of milestones at Safeco Field.Tropeano, making his first Major League appearance, picked up the win by throwing five-plus innings, and Altuve went 2-for-5, becoming just the second player in club history to reach 200 hits in a season, to lead the Astros, 5-2, over the Mariners. 
Altuve, who entered Wednesday's game at Safeco Field in an 0-for-7 funk, lined out and grounded out in his first two at-bats before he hit an RBI double in the fifth inning for hit No. 199. He lined a single into left field off reliever Danny Farquhar in the seventh for his 200th hit.Altuve requested the ball, which was thrown into the dugout by third-base coach Pat Listach.The All-Star second baseman is 10 hits shy of Craig Biggio's club record of 210, set in 1998, and will have a good chance of breaking it with more than two weeks remaining in the season. Altuve leads the Majors in hits, batting average (.336), multihit games and three-hit games. He also stole his 52nd base, which leads the American League.Tropeano gave up two runs, four hits and two walks and struck out five batters, throwing 80 pitches. His batterymate, rookie catcher Max Stassi, had a two-run single and scored on a double by Jonathan Villar to give the Astros a 3-0 lead in the second.The Mariners got a two-run double from Mike Zunino to cut the lead to 3-2 in the bottom of the inning, but the Astros kept adding on. Altuve's double in the fifth pushed the lead to 4-2, and Alex Presley added an RBI single in the eighth to make it 5-2.Astros reliever Darin Downs threw two scoreless innings in relief of Tropeano.Brian McTaggart / MLB.com
Altuve, who entered Wednesday's game at Safeco Field in an 0-for-7 funk, lined out and grounded out in his first two at-bats before he hit an RBI double in the fifth inning for hit No. 199. He lined a single into left field off reliever Danny Farquhar in the seventh for his 200th hit.Altuve requested the ball, which was thrown into the dugout by third-base coach Pat Listach.The All-Star second baseman is 10 hits shy of Craig Biggio's club record of 210, set in 1998, and will have a good chance of breaking it with more than two weeks remaining in the season. Altuve leads the Majors in hits, batting average (.336), multihit games and three-hit games. He also stole his 52nd base, which leads the American League.Tropeano gave up two runs, four hits and two walks and struck out five batters, throwing 80 pitches. His batterymate, rookie catcher Max Stassi, had a two-run single and scored on a double by Jonathan Villar to give the Astros a 3-0 lead in the second.The Mariners got a two-run double from Mike Zunino to cut the lead to 3-2 in the bottom of the inning, but the Astros kept adding on. Altuve's double in the fifth pushed the lead to 4-2, and Alex Presley added an RBI single in the eighth to make it 5-2.Astros reliever Darin Downs threw two scoreless innings in relief of Tropeano.Brian McTaggart / MLB.com
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