Pinch hitter Harry Ford’s sacrifice fly with no outs and the bases loaded in the bottom of the 12th inning scored the winning run as the Seattle Mariners defeated the visiting Los Angeles Angels 7-6 Thursday night.
The Mariners (79-68) won their sixth in a row and pulled even with the Houston Astros atop the American League West.
Mike Trout hit his 399th career homer and Logan Davidson added his first for the Angels (69-78), who had a two-game winning streak snapped.
The Angels took a 6-5 lead in the top of the 12th on Matthew Lugo’s run-scoring single.
In the bottom of the frame, Jorge Polanco doubled down the left field line to score Josh Naylor, who opened the inning as the runner at second. Reliever Sammy Peralta (0-1) intentionally walked Eugenio Suarez before pinch hitter Victor Robles reached on a bunt single to load the bases.
Ford, a rookie appearing in his fourth game, lifted the next pitch to right to score Polanco and collect his first career RBI.
Mariners lefty Jose Castillo (2-2) got the victory.
Both teams scored in the 11th. Taylor Ward gave the Angels a 5-4 lead in the top of the inning with a single up the middle, and J.P. Crawford tied it for Seattle with a single to right in the bottom half.
The Mariners took the lead with four runs in the second off Jose Soriano.
With one out, Luke Raley was hit by a pitch and Leo Rivas reached on a fielder’s choice as first baseman Davidson fielded a grounder but hit Raley in the shoulder as he threw to second in an effort to start an inning-ending double play. Both runners scored on Crawford’s double down the left field line. Randy Arozarena and Cal Raleigh walked to load the bases for Julio Rodriguez, whose one-hop double off the wall in left scored two more.
Mariners starter Bryce Miller retired the first seven batters he faced before Davidson went deep to right-center with one out in the third.
The Angels scored twice in the fourth to pull within a run. Yoan Moncada grounded a leadoff single to center and Ward doubled to left. Chris Taylor hit a sacrifice fly to center, and Ward scored on Luis Rengifo’s groundout.
Trout snapped the longest homerless drought of his career — 125 plate appearances — with a solo shot into the back of the Angels bullpen in left with two outs in the fifth to tie the score at 4-all.
Miller went 5 2/3 innings and gave up four runs on six hits. He didn’t walk a batter and struck out a career-high 11.
Soriano allowed four runs (three earned) on five hits over four innings. He walked three and fanned four.
–Field Level Media
