SEATTLE -- The Houston Astros know better than most teams that a little momentum can go a long way. It took them all the way to the postseason last year, despite typically low expectations.

This year has been a different story, and Wednesday was one of the few nights when the Astros looked worthy of their sky-high expectations.

"I think this win is going to create momentum and we're going to go," second baseman Jose Altuve said after going 3-for-5 with a solo home run in the Astros' 7-4 win over Seattle on Wednesday night. "Everything will be back to normal and we'll win a lot of games."

After struggling through most of April, the Astros (7-15) finally put it together on Wednesday.

Altuve had three hits, two RBIs and three runs as Houston snapped a three-game losing streak and got back on the winning track.

"Nothing's coming easy right now," starting pitcher Collin McHugh said. "It's been a battle since the get-go."

Altuve led off the game with a home run as the Astros avoided the series sweep behind nine hits and a workmanlike performance from McHugh.

McHugh (2-3) allowed two runs on five hits over five innings.

"I don't know if I've ever been as proud of a five-inning start as I was tonight," McHugh said.

Robinson Cano and Adam Lind each hit a solo home run for the Mariners (11-10). Seattle had 10 hits but stranded nine runners on base.

"Our offense battled," Mariners manager Scott Servais said. "We hung in there, and (the offense) gave us a chance."

Mariners starter Hisashi Iwakuma (0-3) allowed five runs on seven hits over five innings. He struck out seven and walked two.

"He hung in there, he really did," Servais said. "He just wasn't that sharp."

Altuve scored three of Houston's first five runs as the Astros pulled out to a 5-1 lead through five innings. After Lind's first home run of the season cut the deficit to 5-3 in the sixth, Evan Gattis delivered a two-run double to put the Astros ahead 7-3 in the seventh.

Houston snapped a three-game losing streak with the win. The Astros have won just one of their first seven series this season.

Altuve has reached base safely in 19 consecutive games. George Springer added two hits, while Gattis drove in three runs for Houston.

"We've got a good team, obviously," Altuve said, "and we showed that today."

Cano went 2-for-5 with three RBIs. Seattle shortstop Ketel Marte, batting leadoff for the second time this season while Nori Aoki got the night off, went 3-for-5.

The Astros lost center fielder Carlos Gomez to a hand injury in the top of the fourth inning. Gomez took an Iwakuma pitch off his right hand and was replaced by Preston Tucker.

X-rays taken on Gomez's hand were negative, and he was being listed as day-to-day with a hand contusion.

Altuve drove in runs in each of his first two at-bats, beginning with a leadoff homer in the first, as the Astros jumped out to a 3-1 lead through the first three innings.

Altuve led off a game with a home run for the third time this season when he drilled a 2-0 pitch from Iwakuma over the left-field fence.

Seattle didn't take long to tie the score, doing so on a Robinson Cano solo homer in the bottom of the first. Cano's shot to right field gave him eight on the season, the most home runs he has hit in April since the 2011 season.

Houston scored two runs on four hits in the top of the third inning. Back-to-back doubles by Jason Castro and Altuve gave the Astros a lead, and shortstop Carlos Correa singled in Altuve to make it 3-1.

After Seattle pulled to within 3-2 on a Cano RBI single in the bottom of the third, the Astros tacked on two more runs in the fifth to open up a 5-2 lead. Altuve collected his third hit of the night, a double, and eventually scored his third run of the game on a sacrifice fly from Evan Gattis. Colby Rasmus' RBI single with the bases loaded accounted for the other run in the fifth.

Seattle nearly cut the deficit to one in the bottom of the fifth, when Seth Smith hit a long fly ball toward the right-field foul pole with a runner on first base. Smith's towering shot landed in the stands and was ruled foul but was close enough to bring Mariners manager Scott Servais out of the dugout for a replay challenge.

Replays showed that the ball went outside the foul pole, so the call stood. Three pitches later, Smith grounded out to end the fifth.

"I thought we had a good series," said Servais, whose team has now won four consecutive series after opening the season with a 3-6 record. "We continued to grind out at-bats. We just didn't hold it down tonight."

Before Wednesday's game, the Mariners announced a significant transition in ownership. Longtime CEO Howard Lincoln, whose name has become synonymous with Seattle's decade-plus of futility, will retire from day-to-day operations as a group known as First Avenue Entertainment LLP takes majority ownership from Nintendo of America.

John Stanton, a member of the minority ownership since 2000, will take over as CEO.

NOTES: Houston adjusted its rotation for the weekend series in Oakland, with RHP Scott Feldman being skipped over in favor of RHP Chris Devenski on Saturday. As a long reliever, Devenski has a 0.66 ERA in six appearances. Feldman (0-2, 4.58 ERA) will work out of the bullpen this weekend, but manager A.J. Hinch left the door open for Feldman to return to the rotation soon. ... Seattle shook up its batting order for the game, giving leadoff hitter Nori Aoki the night off while dropping CF Leonys Martin to the No. 9 spot. SS Ketel Marte hit leadoff for just the second time this season. Seth Smith, batting second, stepped in for Aoki in left field. ... Both teams have Thursday off. Seattle will host a three-game series against the Kansas City Royals beginning Friday night. The Astros travel to Oakland, where A's LHP Sean Manaea, the franchise's top prospect, will make his major league debut Friday against Houston RHP Mike Fiers.