Heston Kjerstad’s two-run triple in the seventh inning proved decisive as the Baltimore Orioles rallied to defeat the host Seattle Mariners 3-2 Wednesday night.
Adley Rutschman homered for the Orioles, who won their season-high fifth straight game and improved to 8-2 over their past 10.
Cal Raleigh went 2-for-4 with a double with an RBI and a run scored for the Mariners, who dropped to 3-5 on their nine-game homestand that concludes Thursday.
Orioles reliever Yennier Cano (1-4) got the victory and Felix Bautista worked the ninth for his 11th save.
With Baltimore trailing 2-1 in the seventh, Ramon Urias drew a one-out walk. With two outs, the Mariners brought in Carlos Vargas (1-4) to face Coby Mayo, but the move backfired as Vargas walked him on four straight pitches. Kjerstad then hit a fly ball that landed just fair down the right field line and rolled to the wall, scoring both runners.
The Mariners had just one hit through the first three innings, a dribbler down the third base line by Julio Rodriguez in the first, before Raleigh led off the bottom of the fourth with a ground-rule double down the right field line. Rodriguez blooped a single to center before Randy Arozarena hit a sacrifice fly to the warning track in center to open the scoring.
The Orioles tied it on Rutschman’s 415-foot blast to right-center with two outs in the sixth.
The Mariners regained the lead in the bottom of the inning after Ben Williamson was hit by a pitch and J.P. Crawford walked. Raleigh drove in the run with a liner down the left field line but was thrown out trying to stretch it into a double. Crawford tried to score on a grounder to shortstop Gunnar Henderson and was originally called safe by home-plate umpire Jeremie Rehak, but Orioles interim manager Tony Mansolino challenged the play and a video review determined catcher Rutschman got the tag down just before Crawford touched the plate.
Both starters pitched well, though neither factored into the decision.
Orioles lefty Cade Povich allowed two runs on four hits in 5 1/3 innings, with one walk and five strikeouts. Mariners right-hander Emerson Hancock gave up two hits and one run over 5 2/3 innings, with two walks and six strikeouts.
–Field Level Media
