SEATTLE — Justin Verlander became the major leagues’ first 13-game winner, striking out nine and topping 99 mph in his final inning to lead the Houston Astros over the Seattle Mariners 3-1 on Saturday.

Verlander (13-3) allowed four hits in seven innings to win his fifth straight start and lower his ERA to 1.86, second in the American League to Shane McClanahan’s 1.71 for Tampa Bay.

A 39-year-old right-hander, who missed last season while recovering from Tommy John surgery, Verlander averaged 96.3 mph with his fastball, 1.4 mph above his season average coming in.

He retired 15 straight between Adam Frazier’s second-inning single and Carlos Santana’s ninth home run, which cut the lead to 2-1 in the seventh. Seattle loaded the bases on walks by Eugenio Suárez and pinch-hitter Kyle Lewis around Frazier’s single, and Verlander struck out No. 9 hitter Sam Haggerty on his 101st and final pitch, clocked at 97.4 mph.

Verlander has allowed one earned run or fewer in seven of his last eight starts.

GUARDIANS 7, WHITE SOX 4: Josh Naylor snapped a ninth-inning tie with a pinch-hit single, and streaking Cleveland won in  Chicago in the opener of a split doubleheader.

Steven Kwan had three hits and José Ramírez drove in two runs with a pair of sacrifice flies as Cleveland earned its fifth straight win. Amed Rosario had two hits and two RBI.

The Guardians improved to 8-9 in games during their major league-high nine doubleheaders. They began the day just 11/2 games back of Minnesota for the AL Central lead.

Rookie Nolan Jones doubled to begin the ninth and Naylor, batting for catcher Austin Hedges, gave Cleveland a 5-4 lead when he singled to center against All-Star closer Liam Hendriks (1-3). Kwan singled in pinch-runner Alex Call and scored on Ramírez’s flyball.

Naylor is batting .400 (14 for 35) with three homers and 16 RBI against Chicago this year.

Trevor Stephan (4-3) got four outs for the win, and Emmanuel Clase pitched a 1-2-3 ninth for his 20th save.

NOTES

METS-PIRATES TRADE: New York acquired catcher Michael Perez from Pittsburgh for cash, the second day in a row the NL East leaders made a trade with the Pirates.

The 29-year-old Perez was designated for assignment on Friday. A lefty hitter, he batted .150 with six home runs and 11 RBI in 39 games and 107 at-bats this season.

In parts of five seasons with the Pirates and Tampa Bay, he is hitting .175 with 15 home runs and 58 RBI.

YANKEES: New York reliever Michael King is out for the season after he fractured his right elbow in a game against Baltimore this weekend.

The right-hander walked off the mound in the eighth inning Friday night after a pitch to Ramón Urías.

The 27-year-old King has been a valuable member of the bullpen on the team with the best record in the majors. He is 6-3 with one save and a 2.29 ERA in 34 games. He struck out 66 in 51 innings.

BREWERS: Left-hander Aaron Ashby and Milwaukee agreed to a five-year contract through 2027, and the NL Central leaders made a short-term addition in former San Francisco reliever Jake McGee.

Ashby’s deal includes club options for 2028 and 2029. The 23-year-old is 2-7 with a 4.56 ERA and one save in 12 starts and six relief appearances, striking out 83 in 69 innings.

He would not have been eligible for arbitration until after the 2024 season, and the options could cover two seasons in which he potentially would be eligible for free agency.

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