Naylor homers twice, Kirby pitches into 8th as Mariners beat Astros 6-2 for 4-game sweep

SEATTLE (AP) — Josh Naylor hit his first two homers of the season and drove in five runs, George Kirby allowed two runs in 7 2/3 innings, and the Seattle Mariners completed a four-game sweep of the Houston Astros with a 6-2 win on Monday.

It was Naylor’s seventh career game with five or more RBIs.

Seattle was coming off a five-game skid before sweeping Houston. The banged-up, last-place Astros have lost eight in a row, their longest skid since they dropped the last 15 games of the 2013 season en route to 111 losses.

The Mariners swept their division rivals over four games for just the second time. The first was from Aug. 9-12, 2018.

Naylor ripped a fastball down the middle from Mike Burrows (1-3) into the right field bleachers for a three-run shot in the first inning. It ended his string of 59 consecutive at-bats without a home run to start the year, and was Naylor’s first longball in the regular season since Sept. 19, 2025, also against the Astros.

Naylor took Burrows deep again in the third, pouncing on another fastball for a two-run shot that traveled 433 feet, the Mariners' longest homer this season.

Kirby (2-2) allowed his only runs in the fifth on an RBI single by Yainer Diaz and a double-play grounder from Nick Allen. He struck out six, allowed seven hits and walked one while throwing 99 pitches.

The Astros had not named a starter for Tuesday night’s game against RHP Michael Lorenzen (1-1, 8.36 ERA) and the Colorado Rockies. Mariners RHP Bryan Woo (0-1, 1.50) faces Padres righty Michael King (1-1, 3.24) at San Diego on Tuesday night.

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/mlb

Seattle Mariners' Josh Naylor laughs in the dugout during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Houston Astros, Monday, April 13, 2026, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

Seattle Mariners starting pitcher George Kirby greets Josh Naylor in the dugout after facing the Houston Astros during the sixth inning of a baseball game, Monday, April 13, 2026, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

Houston Astros catcher Yainer Diaz comes to the mound to talk to starting pitcher Mike Burrows during the fifth inning of a baseball game against the Seattle Mariners, Monday, April 13, 2026, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

Seattle Mariners starting pitcher George Kirby throws against the Houston Astros during the seventh inning of a baseball game, Monday, April 13, 2026, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

Seattle Mariners' Josh Naylor flips his bat after hitting his second home run of the game, a two-run home run during the third inning of a baseball game against the Houston Astros, Monday, April 13, 2026, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

Former President Barack Obama met with New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani for the first time on Saturday at a child care center where they read to preschoolers and led a singalong.

The meeting comes as Mamdani, a democratic socialist who marked his 100th day in office just over a week ago, is also trying to build a working relationship with Republican President Donald Trump.

Obama and Mamdani did not take questions after reading the book “Alone and Together” to the children and leading a singalong of “The Wheels on the Bus.”

The former two-term president and standard-bearer for the Democratic Party has offered to be a sounding board for Mamdani, 34, whose star power, youth and progressive agenda has made him stand out in Democratic politics.

Mamdani took office in January after a campaign centered on making New York City a more affordable place to live, centering his agenda on refocusing the vast power of government toward helping the city’s struggling working class.

Mamdani has met twice with Trump at the White House in November and February to discuss issues affecting New York.

Despite those friendly meetings, their relationship has shown signs of strain recently, with Trump posting on social media Thursday that Mamdani was “DESTROYING New York” with his taxing policies and threatened to pull federal funding for the city.

Former President Barack Obama and Mayor Zohran Mamdani sing "Wheels on the Bus" to children at Learning Through Play Pre-K in the Bronx in New York, Saturday, April 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Angelina Katsanis)

Former President Barack Obama and Mayor Zohran Mamdani sing "Wheels on the Bus" to children at Learning Through Play Pre-K in New York, Saturday, April 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Angelina Katsanis)

Former President Barack Obama, left, and Mayor Zohran Mamdani read a book to children at Learning Through Play Pre-K in New York, on Saturday, April 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Angelina Katsanis)