The kids finally did it Sunday for the Mariners.

Rookie center fielder Kyle Lewis continued his hot start to the season with a go-ahead two-run single in the eighth inning as Seattle snapped a 15-game losing streak against the Astros with a 7-6 win at Minute Maid Park.

Lewis has been on fire in the first three games, but this time he got some help from Shed Long Jr. and Tim Lopes as the Mariners changed their fortunes against the defending American League champs with an eighth-inning rally and some ninth-inning dramatics from first-time closer Taylor Williams.

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The Mariners had been outscored, 106-36, in losing 15 straight to Houston over the past two years, including 12 in a row at Minute Maid Park since the start of 2019, but it’s a new year with a lot of new young players and they finally got a new result on Sunday.

Here are three heroes from the Mariners’ first win of this pandemic-shortened season:

Lewis keeps on shining
The 25-year-old rookie has been nothing short of sensational in the early going. After homering in his first two games, the Astros finally kept him in the park as he went 2-for-4 with a walk. But it was his game-winning two-run single off reliever Chris Devenski in the eighth that carried the day.

“When the lights are on, he likes to show up,” Mariners manager Scott Servais said. “Even though there’s not 40,000 people here, certainly we know there are a lot of Mariners fans out there and we made them all happy this Sunday afternoon.”

Lewis has proven his power by homering in eight of his first 21 games dating back to his Sept. 10, 2019, callup, but against Devenski, he battled to a 2-2 count and then pushed a 94 mph fastball into right field to highlight a three-run rally that was fueled by base hits and stolen bases from two of his young teammates, Lopes and Long.

“He’s as professional as it gets,” said Lopes. “He’s always trying to do damage in damage counts. You just feel like he’s going to hit a home run every time he walks up to the plate, and lately, a lot of the time he has been.”

Lewis’ play hasn’t gone unnoticed across the diamond.

"He's a talented young man,” said Astros manager Dusty Baker. “He's prone to the strikeout, but if you don't make a good pitch on him, it seems like when he hits, it's a base hit. He's talented, he's real talented. He's young, he's strong, he's fast. He's a guy that has a very bright future."

Lopes hits some ropes
Lewis didn’t have to do it all on his own this time, which is why the Mariners picked up their first win. Lopes, another rookie making his first start of the season in left field, was 3-for-4 with a double and two runs scored while the 24-year-old Long contributed two hits and two RBIs from the leadoff spot.

Lopes, 26, made the roster as a utility man, but he’ll see plenty of time in left field when the Mariners face left-handed pitching, and Servais started him Sunday against the Astros’ third straight right-hander just looking to get his bat in the lineup.

Lopes, who hit .270 in 128 plate appearances as a late-season addition last year, doubled and scored in the fourth, then led off the game-winning rally with a single and stole second. Austin Nola followed with a walk and Lopes scored on Long’s base hit.

“Timmy swung the bat really well,” Servais said. “And the play that goes unnoticed a little is the stolen base that set up some things there in the eighth. That changed that whole inning. That’s what it takes, moving the line and guys doing the little things. Our young players were really in tune to the game today.”

Williams with his first save
The Mariners also got a big boost from their bullpen, which used six relievers to shut down the Astros over the final 5 1/3 frames after starter Yusei Kikuchi gave up four runs -- and a 4-1 lead -- in the fourth. Williams, a 29-year-old claimed off waivers from the Brewers this spring, allowed a run in the ninth but picked up his first career save by stranding the tying run at second.

It took some steely nerves from the native of Camas, Wash., as he gave up a leadoff double to Kyle Tucker and a two-out RBI double to Michael Brantley. But he got the job done by striking out a trio of All-Stars -- George Springer, Jose Altuve and then Alex Bregman to strand the tying run at second.

Williams isn’t penciled in as the Mariners’ closer, but Servais went to some of his more established late-inning options earlier in the game with Matt Magill in the fifth, Carl Edwards Jr. in the sixth and Dan Altavilla in the seventh before bringing in rookie Anthony Misiewicz in the eighth and Williams for the final three outs.

The unconventional approach worked, with Williams hanging on against the heart of the order. And in a very happy Mariners clubhouse, nobody was any happier than the guy who grew up in southwest Washington and attended many games at the Kingdome and Safeco Field when it first opened.

“The biggest thing is we won,” said Williams. “Obviously, getting your first save is pretty cool. It’s a pretty surreal moment. I was a Mariners fan growing up, so it’s a blessing just putting this jersey on every day. Going out there and getting my first career save as a Mariner definitely means a lot to me.”

Up next
Kendall Graveman makes his Mariners debut in Monday's 4:10 p.m. PT series finale at Minute Maid Park, facing Astros right-hander Josh James. Graveman, the Opening Day starter for the A’s in 2017 and '18, makes his first start since May 11, 2018, as he’s now recovered from Tommy John surgery. The 29-year-old is 4-3 with a 3.71 ERA in nine starts vs. Houston. Watch the game live on MLB.TV.