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Rookie Cade Marlowe hit a ninth-inning grand slam as the Seattle Mariners overcame Shohei Ohtani’s major-league-leading 40th home run of the season to defeat the Los Angeles Angels 5-3 Thursday night in Anaheim, Calif.

Eugenio Suarez also went deep for the Mariners, who won for the seventh time in their past nine games. Los Angeles took its third defeat in a row.

Ohtani, who was limited to four scoreless innings on the mound because of cramps in his right hand and fingers, stayed in the game as the designated hitter. He hit a towering drive to right off Isaiah Campbell (2-0) with one out in the eighth to give the Angels a 3-1 lead.

Angels closer Carlos Estevez (5-2), who had converted all 23 of his save opportunities entering the game, struggled with his command in the ninth inning.

Cal Raleigh and Ty France walked to open the frame, and Dominic Canzone grounded a single to right to load the bases with no outs. Estevez fanned Teoscar Hernandez before Marlowe hit an 0-2 fastball clocked at 99 mph over the right field fence.

Seattle’s Andres Munoz struck out the side in the bottom of the nine to earn his fourth save.

Ohtani was making his first mound start in a week. He threw just 59 pitches, giving up three hits with one walk and four strikeouts.

The Mariners broke a scoreless tie in the sixth inning when Suarez led off with a homer to right field off Jose Soriano. It gave Suarez RBIs in nine straight games, the longest streak in the majors this season and tied with Hall of Famer Edgar Martinez for the most in franchise history.

The Angels responded in the bottom of the inning off Bryan Woo. With two outs, the Mariners intentionally walked Ohtani. The move backfired as Ohtani stole second and scored the tying run on a single up the middle by newly reacquired C.J. Cron. Mike Moustakas then lined a double to right-center, plating Cron to make it 2-1.

Woo, a rookie right-hander, went six innings and allowed two runs on four hits. He walked two and struck out six.

The game was the opener of a four-game series between American League wild-card contenders.

–Field Level Media