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Apr 26, 2016 - 6:23 AM Dallas Keuchel didn't allow his 11th run until his eighth start of last season on his way to winning the AL Cy Young Award. He's given up that amount in half as many outings in 2016.

The Houston Astros as a whole don't look like the team that made last year's playoffs, and Keuchel will try to help them avoid a seventh defeat in eight games when he faces the Seattle Mariners on the road Tuesday night.

Keuchel (2-2, 3.71 ERA) issued more than three walks once in 33 starts last season, then did so in each of his first two this season. He got a hold of his control while regaining some of last year's form with eight scoreless innings to beat Detroit on April 15, but he struggled again Thursday.

The left-hander allowed six runs and a career high-tying 13 hits - including giving up his first homer of the season - in a 7-4 loss to Texas.

"That was probably the best I felt out of my four starts," Keuchel said. "I thought I was rolling early. I felt like it was there - bleeders, some singles, couple of doubles. Everything they did it was just like magic for them."

Keuchel allowed five runs against the Mariners (10-9) in one start last season, but that's the only of his last four against them that he's given up more than one. The Astros (6-14) sure could use another of Keuchel's solid efforts against Seattle.

Houston beat the New York Yankees in the AL wild-card game last season and had eventual World Series champion Kansas City on the ropes before falling in five games. It hasn't lived up to increased expectations so far this season, though, and has dropped six of its last seven after Monday's 3-2 loss in the series opener.

Jose Altuve, Evan Gattis and Carlos Gomez had two hits apiece, but the Astros went 2 for 9 with runners in scoring position. Seattle had only four hits, capitalizing on seven walks from Houston starter Doug Fister.

Leonys Martin and Kyle Seager homered to help Seattle improve to 2-5 at home. Seager has homered in back-to-back games to give him 100 for his career, but they're the only two hits in his last 16 at-bats.

The Mariners have won eight of 11 since a five-game skid and have averaged 4.5 runs during that stretch after scoring seven times during the losing streak.

Seattle's bullpen has been solid during the hot stretch as well, posting a 1.71 ERA despite Joel Peralta giving up a run in the eighth before Steve Cishek worked around two hits to earn his fifth save. Peralta worked the middle relief spot in place of Joaquin Benoit, who was placed on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to Friday.

Benoit is dealing with inflammation in his right shoulder that also made him unavailable at times through the season's first month. Mayckol Guaipe was recalled from Triple-A to give the Mariners another arm in the bullpen.

"We sat down and decided that we probably need to take a step back, regroup, and instead of trying to chase it every day, let's give (Benoit) some time and get it right," manager Scott Servais told MLB's official website. "We've got a lot of games ahead of us. … So let's just slow it down."