Mariners Sweep the Orioles after Thursday’s 4-2 Win

Losing 6 of their last 7, the Mariners needed to take advantage of the last-place Orioles at Camden Yards. They did just that, sweeping Baltimore in 4 games.

Mike Leake took the mound on Thursday for the Mariners. His last start at Fenway Park featured 8 shutout innings against the Red Sox en route to a 7-2 win. The Mariners faced Baltimore’s Jimmy Yacabonis, who had only thrown 2.1 innings this season, carrying a 15.43 ERA prior to Thursday’s start.

Both offenses were silent until the top of the fourth inning when Nelson Cruz hit a 2-run homer that looked like a routine pop-up. The blast carried 384 feet and took 6.1 seconds to land over the wall in right-center field. However, Seattle’s early 2-0 lead was short lived when Manny Machado and Chris Davis hit a pair of solo home-runs to tie the game at 2.

Yacabonis lasted only four innings for the Orioles, allowing just the two earned runs. Leake, on the other hand, settled down and pitched a quality start. He allowed five hits and two earned runs through seven full innings but left the game with a 2-2 tie.

After the fourth inning, both teams struggled to score. The Orioles did not have a man in scoring position until the eighth inning. Seattle was 0-13 with runners in scoring position through 8 innings but finished the game 1-18. After strong outings by both bullpens, the game went into extra innings for the second time in the series.

Seattle’s offense wasted no time in the tenth inning. Dee Gordon led off extras with an infield single. Jean Segura singled into right field, but a fielding error by Colby Rasmus allowed Gordon to score on the play. Later in the inning, Nelson Cruz singled in Segura, and the Mariners took a 4-2 lead into the bottom of the tenth.

As Edwin Diaz was given the day off after pitching 4 of the previous 5 games, Juan Nicasio was able to earn his first save of the season. Baltimore’s offense went 1-2-3, and Seattle was able to earn a 4-game sweep in Baltimore for the first time in franchise history. They completed their ten-game road trip with a 5-5 record.

Seattle moves to 8-0 in extra-inning ballgames this season and is back to 20 games over .500. They trail the Houston Astros by just 3 games in the American League West and hold a comfortable 7-game lead in the Wild Card Race.

Next: Mariners Trade a Day: Brandon Drury

The Mariners will travel home to face the Kansas City Royals on Friday night as Marco Gonzales takes the mound. First pitch is scheduled for 7:10PT.