Ty France hit a tiebreaking home run with one out in the bottom of the eighth inning as the Seattle Mariners defeated the visiting Los Angeles Angels 5-4 Friday night in the opener of a three-game series between the American League West rivals.
France went 3-for-3 and added a double and three RBIs for the division-leading Mariners, who won for the fifth time in their past six games.
Angels pinch hitter Jo Adell hit a grand slam with two outs in seventh to tie the score at 4-4. Los Angeles has lost six of seven.
France’s homer, on a 2-2 changeup from Angels left-hander Matt Moore (1-2), hit the facade of the second deck in left field at T-Mobile Park and was measured at 417 feet.
Ryne Stanek (3-0) got the victory and Andres Munoz worked the ninth for his 12th save. Munoz picked off Kevin Pillar at first base for the final out with Adell at the plate.
Mariners starter Bryan Woo pitched six scoreless innings and allowed just three hits, didn’t walk a batter and struck out two. Making just his fifth start after beginning the season on the injured list with left elbow inflammation, Woo was lifted after 66 pitches.
It took just one inning for the Mariners’ usually reliable bullpen to give up the lead.
Taylor Ward drew a one-out walk off reliever Trent Thornton and Willie Calhoun doubled to right, sending Ward to third. Ward tried to score on Pillar’s grounder to third, but he was thrown out at the plate. Logan O’Hoppe walked to load the bases and the Mariners brought in lefty Tayler Saucedo to face Matt Thaiss, who had two of the Angels’ three hits through six innings.
Angels manager Ron Washington countered with Adell, and the move paid off as he hit a 2-2 slider over the left field wall.
The Mariners, who fired offensive coordinator/bench coach Brant Brown earlier in the day, responded with three runs in the first inning.
J.P. Crawford led off with a double into the right field corner, Josh Rojas singled to left and Julio Rodriguez walked to load the bases. Cal Raleigh lifted a sacrifice fly to the warning track in left to open the scoring.
With two outs, France hit a drive to right that went off the glove of a leaping Pillar for a two-run double.
The Mariners nearly extended the lead in the fourth but Angels center fielder Mickey Moniak raced back to the wall and made a leaping catch to rob Luke Raley of a two-run homer.
Seattle made it 4-0 in the fifth as Crawford hit a leadoff double and scored on Raleigh’s two-out single to right.
–Field Level Media
