Josh Naylor singled home Cal Raleigh with two outs in the bottom of the ninth as the host Seattle Mariners defeated the Athletics 5-4 Wednesday afternoon to salvage the finale of a three-game series with their American League West rivals.
The A’s tied the score in the top of the inning on Nick Kurtz’s one-out homer to straightaway center off Mariners closer Andres Munoz (3-2), who blew the save opportunity but ended up getting the victory.
Raleigh, who homered for a third consecutive game, sparked the winning rally with a two-out single to center. He advanced to second as Julio Rodriguez grounded a single into left and scored on Naylor’s liner to left off Joel Kuhnel (0-1).
Raleigh and Naylor each went 3-for-5 as the Mariners collected a season-high 14 hits. Seattle starter Logan Gilbert allowed six hits and three runs over four innings while Athletics starter Aaron Civale also gave up six hits and three runs while going 5 1/3 innings.
The A’s took a 2-0 lead in the first inning thanks, in part, to a unique hit by Carlos Cortes. Kurtz drew a leadoff walk and Shea Langeliers singled to right field, sending Kurtz to third. Cortes rifled a 107.8-mph liner up the middle that hit Gilbert in the midsection and lodged inside his jersey. After the umpires huddled, they ruled it a hit that loaded the bases.
After trainer Kyle Torgerson checked out Gilbert and gave him the green light to stay in the game, Tyler Soderstrom’s sacrifice fly to center drove in Kurtz and Jeff McNeil’s two-out single to center brought home Langeliers.
The Mariners got a run back in the bottom of the first as J.P. Crawford, Rodriguez and Naylor loaded the bases with singles to set up Randy Arozarena’s sacrifice fly to left.
Cortes reached on an infield single leading off the third and scored on Jacob Wilson’s one-out double to left to make it 3-1.
Raleigh led off the bottom of the frame with a homer to right off A’s starter Aaron Civale.
The Mariners made it 3-3 in the sixth after Naylor led off with a single to center. one out later, the A’s brought in Brady Basso to replace Civale. Pinch-hitter Mitch Garver greeted Basso with a RBI double to center.
Seattle took the lead off Mark Leiter Jr. in the seventh. Crawford grounded a one-out single into right and advanced as Raleigh’s sinking liner got past right fielder Cortes for a double. Crawford scored as Rodriguez grounded out to short.
