HOUSTON — Who are these guys?

Before the Mariners’ first trip to Minute Maid Park this year, it was a fair question to ask about a Houston Astros team sitting, curiously, in last place in the American League West.

By the end of Friday night’s game, the same question could reasonably be asked about another typically dominant squad: the Mariners’ bullpen.

In a rare letdown, the Mariners’ relievers squandered a two-run lead in a disastrous seventh inning, gift-wrapping the Astros a 5-3 victory in the opener of a key early-season series.

Jorge Polanco hit a solo homer in the third inning, Dylan Moore added a two-run shot off Astros starter Ronel Blanco to give the Mariners a 3-1 lead in the fifth inning.

George Kirby threw six sharp innings, allowing only one run, with four hits, no walks and three strikeouts.

He was pulled after 88 pitches. Manager Scott Servais turned the game over to a Mariners bullpen that ranked No. 1 in the majors in most major statistical categories.

Servais wound up going to the bullpen two more times in the seventh inning, using three relievers who wound up surrendering four runs on five walks — yes, five — and two hits in the inning.

The Astros sent 10 batters to the plate, turning a 3-1 deficit into a 5-3 lead.

A throwing error from catcher Cal Raleigh, trying to pick off a runner at third, added to the misery in the seventh.

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