Ian Happ and Pedro Ramirez hit grand slams as the Chicago Cubs defeated the host Seattle Mariners 19-2 Sunday afternoon.
Pete Crow-Armstrong and Michael Conforto also homered and right-hander Aaron Civale (6-7) pitched four innings of scoreless relief as the Cubs snapped a three-game losing streak.
Chicago brought home nine runs in the eighth inning and tallied 17 hits in the beatdown.
Randy Arozarena homered for Seattle, which had won five of its previous seven games. That gave Arozarena a sixth consecutive season with at least 20 homers and 20 steals, an accomplishment matched only by Barry Bonds (nine straight), Bobby Bonds (seven), Bobby Abreu (seven) and Willie Mays (six) in MLB history.
Arozarena, who hit leadoff and walk-off homers Saturday, went deep again in the first inning Sunday to left field off Cubs starter Shota Imanaga. He became the second player to ever hit consecutive leadoff homers with a walk-off in between, duplicating Crow-Armstrong’s feat from earlier in the week.
The Mariners made it 2-0 in the second as Victor Robles drew a one-out walk, stole second and third and scored on catcher Carson Kelly’s throwing error.
Conforto led off the third with a homer to right off Mariners starter Bryce Miller (4-8). With two outs, Miller issued three straight walks before Happ’s slam off the right field foul pole made it 5-2 Chicago.
The Cubs extended their lead to 6-2 in the fifth after Miller walked the bases full with no outs. Bregman grounded into a forceout to score the run before reliever Jose A. Ferrer got out of the jam with a double play.
Chicago scored again in the sixth after Ramirez and pinch hitter Tyrone Taylor led off with singles. After a double play moved Ramirez to third, Crow-Armstrong reached on an infield single that made it 7-2.
In the eighth, Crow-Armstrong blasted a two-run shot off reliever Michael Rucker and Ramirez hit his slam, a liner just over the left field wall, off Mariners backup catcher Jhonny Pereda.
Seattle third baseman Weston Wilson took the mound in the ninth and allowed the final three runs.
Kelly eschewed his catching gear to pitch a scoreless ninth for the Cubs.
Miller allowed just two hits (the two homers) over 4 1/3 innings but was charged with six runs. The right-hander walked seven and struck out five.
Imanaga lasted two-plus innings and gave up two runs (one earned) on five hits over 72 pitches. The lefty walked two and fanned four.
–Field Level Media
