SEATTLE -- James Paxton has faced the Houston Astros on two occasions this season, and twice the Seattle Mariners left-hander stymied one of the league's top offenses.

Paxton improved on his previous outing, tossing seven shutout innings and striking out eight as the Seattle Mariners opened their home schedule with a 6-0 win over the Astros on Monday.

"I've been very impressed," Mariners manager Scott Servais said. "He has a chance to have a big year, no doubt. We saw it coming together last year, and he's continuing to ride it and he wants to take it to the next level. How he's preparing, how he's going about his work in between starts, it's outstanding, and he's ready to take the next step."

Seattle blew a 9-3 lead in the ninth inning Sunday in a 10-9 loss to the Los Angeles Angels. Although Seattle opened another six-run lead on Monday, and again took it into the ninth inning, the closest resemblance to Sunday's implosion was a bases-loaded Houston rally in the eighth that amounted to nothing.

Even so, it gave a hint of confidence to Astros manager A.J. Hinch, whose club has yet to score more than five runs in a game and is averaging 2.6 runs through eight games.

"I liked the bounce-back a little bit late," Hinch said. "We're not swinging the bats all that poorly, but we're not getting the big hits now. We're gonna be a good offensive club. This is eight games of a bit of a roller coaster ride, but we're gonna be all right."

Seattle, which until Sunday had joined Houston in its offensive woes, got its bats going as Nelson Cruz highlighted his three-hit performance with a two-run single in the fifth inning. Mitch Haniger had two hits, including an RBI single.

The Astros did little against Paxton's high-90s heat. Shortstop Carlos Correa collected three singles, but a Carlos Beltran base hit was all Houston mustered otherwise against Paxton, who walked two.

Paxton (1-0) continued to have impeccable feel for the three main pitches in his arsenal. Half of his eight strikeouts came via the cutter, and his fastball and curveball each contributed two more.

"It's not just us," Hinch said. "I think he's gonna give the whole league a hard time if he has that kind of power and that kind of ability to land his breaking ball -- development things over the last year or so we've seen him do. He's resting in the upper 90s and lands his breaking ball, this little cutter that he's throwing he struck a couple of our guys out on -- that's a real pitch mix of a pretty good pitcher."

Last Wednesday, Paxton threw six scoreless innings at Houston, which got six innings of two-run ball from Charlie Morton in the Astros' 5-3, 13-inning victory.

In the pitching rematch Monday, Seattle worked multiple double-digit counts on Morton early on. He put runners on in three of the game's first four innings, but Seattle didn't take advantage until the fifth.

The Mariners chased Morton (0-1) after five innings, three runs and seven hits. Seattle plated two more off Tony Sipp and Michael Feliz in the sixth after right fielder Josh Reddick airmailed a throw to third base that allowed Mike Zunino and Jarrod Dyson to score.

"I'm a little frustrated," Morton said. "I got myself into trouble a couple times and paid for it in the fifth. ... The pitch to Cruz (on his two-run single), a fastball middle-middle, he did exactly what he should have done with it."

Seattle reliever Dan Altavilla struggled in the eighth inning. The Astros loaded the bases beginning with a Yuli Gurriel double -- Houston's lone extra-base hit of the game -- but Altavilla struck out George Springer and Correa and escape the inning unscathed.

The Mariners capped the scoring in the seventh inning on a Danny Valencia sacrifice fly after hits by Cruz and Kyle Seager.

NOTES: Mariners SS Jean Segura exited the game with a "very mild" right hamstring strain after the third inning. Taylor Motter replaced him and scored on a Nelson Cruz single in the fifth inning. Manager Scott Servais said Segura is day-to-day. ... Seattle has won its past two games against Houston, though the Mariners have lost 12 of the past 18 meetings dating to last season. ... Seattle 3B Kyle Seager had his first two-hit game of the season.