George Kirby allowed just two hits over 6 2/3 scoreless innings and J.P. Crawford homered as the Seattle Mariners edged the visiting Boston Red Sox 1-0 on Friday night.
Kirby (1-0), a right-hander, walked two and struck out eight. Reliever Andres Munoz got the final four outs for his first save, striking out the side in the ninth.
Crawford went deep off the Red Sox starter, right-hander Nick Pivetta (0-1), with one out in the bottom of the sixth, hitting a cut fastball on an 0-1 count just inside the right-field foul pole.
It was the third and final hit Pivetta allowed in his six innings, following a two-out single by Ty France in the second and a leadoff single by Julio Rodriguez in the fourth. Pivetta didn’t walk a batter and struck out 10.
Kirby worked out of a jam in the first inning after walking leadoff hitter Jarren Duran. With one out, Duran stole second and advanced to third on a wild pitch. A walk to Masataka Yoshida put runners at the corners before Kirby struck out Trevor Story and got Triston Casas to line out sharply to center.
Tyler O’Neill lined a two-out single to left in the third inning, the only Boston hit off Kirby until the seventh, when Ceddanne Rafaela poked a two-out pitch into right field.
That was it for Kirby, who was replaced by lefty Gabe Speier. Pinch-hitter Pablo Reyes grounded a single to right, sending Rafaela to second, before Speier struck out Bobby Dalbec to end the threat.
The Red Sox’s Reese McGuire drew a leadoff walk off Ryne Stanek in the eighth and Yoshida lined a two-out single to center before Munoz entered and got Story to ground out to third.
The Mariners loaded the bases with two outs in the eighth off Josh Winckowski on a single by Luke Raley and walks to Crawford and Rodriguez, but Jorge Polanco lined out to first to end the inning.
Both teams had unexpected lineup changes.
Boston third baseman Rafael Devers, who went 2-for-5 with a double, home run and two RBIs in Thursday’s opener, was scratched because of soreness in his left shoulder. Seattle designated hitter Mitch Garver was sidelined with back spasms.
–Field Level Media
