The Mariners had the right opponent to end a four-game losing streak: the Oakland A’s.
But would the Mariners get the big hits they have so much trouble getting?
Yes, yes and yes, and Seattle needed every one of them.
Rookie Julio Rodriguez, Cal Raleigh and Eugenio Suarez had multi-run homers in consecutive innings, propelling a 7-6 victory over Oakland on Monday night at T-Mobile Park, keeping Seattle out of last place in the AL West.
The Mariners (18-25) got their 13th straight victory over Oakland (17-27), extending the franchise record for the longest winning streak against an opponent.
It was a great start to a six-game homestand for Seattle, which certainly needed a win after getting swept in a four-game series at Boston and finishing the road trip at 3-7.
The offensive explosion wasn’t immediate.
The Mariners loaded the bases with two outs in the bottom of the second inning thanks to Oakland starter Zach Logue’s wildness — two walks and a hit batter. But Raleigh struck out to end the threat, prolonging a theme of the Mariners being unable to come up with a big hit.
Soon, that would change for him and the Mariners.
Rodriguez changed the trend first.
After a Ty France double and a J.P. Crawford walk put runners at first and second with one out in the third inning, Rodriguez showed off his opposite-field power by knocking the ball into the right-center seats.
Raleigh got his turn after Oakland, which had no luck at all against Marco Gonzales in the first three innings, scored three runs on five hits in the fourth inning to tie the score at 3.
After a one-out walk to Luis Torrens, Raleigh hit a line-drive missile into the left-field seats to give the Mariners the lead back at 5-3 in the bottom of the fourth.
It was Raleigh’s fourth homer in just five hits this season before adding a single in the sixth inning that raised his batting average to .120 (6 of 50).
Suarez added his name to the homer party in the next inning, with his two-run homer to left field off Logue giving Seattle a 7-3 lead in the fifth.
There was suddenly a party atmosphere at T-Mobile. But that soon changed because Gonzales struggled again in the sixth inning, and Penn Murfee didn’t provide any relief.
Gonzales allowed a pair of hits after getting the first out, and Mariners manager Scott Servais pulled the left-hander after 94 pitches.
Enter Murfee, who had been excellent all season. But not on this night.
Murfee allowed a walk, a single and a double without recording an out. That brought home three runs and left runners on second and third base for Sergio Romo, who was able to keep the score at 7-6 by getting a foul out and a ground out.
It was an odd night for Gonzales, who was great in the first, second, third and fifth innings. But the end result was not great: 5 1/3 innings, five earned runs, eight hits, no walks and three strikeouts.
Matt Festa, Diego Castillo and Paul Sewald followed Romo with scoreless relief to preserve the one-run lead and snap the losing streak. It was Sewald’s second save of the season.
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