Cal Raleigh hit his major-league-leading 42nd home run of the season and George Kirby pitched six strong innings as the Seattle Mariners defeated the visiting Texas Rangers 6-0 Thursday night in the opener of a four-game series.
Rookie Cole Young hit a solo shot and a run-scoring triple for the Mariners, who broke a second-place tie with Texas for second place in the American League West. Seattle sits 4 1/2 games behind the first-place Houston Astros.
Kirby (6-5) continued his mastery of the Rangers by allowing just three hits — a single by former teammate Rowdy Tellez in the third and a pair of two-out hits in the sixth, a single by Corey Seager and a double by Marcus Semien into the gap in left-center field.
Kirby, who walked two and struck out six, got out of the latter jam by inducing a flyout to center from Adolis Garcia.
In 10 career starts against Texas, Kirby is 8-0 with a 1.04 ERA.
The Mariners broke a scoreless tie in the fourth inning after Eugenio Suarez, who received a standing ovation in his return to Seattle after being acquired from the Arizona Diamondbacks, grounded a one-out double down the third base line. Suarez took third on a flyout to deep center by Jorge Polanco and scored on a wild pitch from Kumar Rocker (4-5).
Young led off the fifth with a blast into the second deck in right field — his third homer of the season and his first at home — and an out later Raleigh hit a high drive that just cleared the fence in right-center to make it 3-0.
The Mariners added three runs in the sixth off reliever Jacob Latz. Polanco drew a leadoff walk, stole second and scored on J.P. Crawford’s one-out single to right. Young lined an RBI triple to right and scored on a two-out passed ball by Kyle Higashioka.
Rocker, who was 3-0 over his previous seven starts, gave up three runs on six hits over 4 2/3 innings. He walked two and fanned three.
Mariners reliever Trent Thornton had to be taken off the field on a cart after sustaining an apparent left ankle injury while trying to cover first base on a grounder to the right side of the infield with two outs in the ninth inning.
–Field Level Media
