Raley, Crawford homer as Mariners rally past Braves 5‑4
SEATTLE (Interstat) — J.P. Crawford hit a go-ahead two-run homer in the sixth inning, Luke Raley crushed a three-run shot earlier in the same frame, and the Seattle Mariners rallied from a four-run deficit to beat the Atlanta Braves 5-4 on Monday night at T-Mobile Park.
The Mariners snapped Atlanta’s four-game winning streak before a crowd of 26,934 in a game that lasted 2 hours, 37 minutes.
Atlanta struck first in the top of the first inning when designated hitter Drake Baldwin launched his ninth home run of the season to center field off Mariners starter Logan Gilbert. The Braves added three more runs in the sixth on consecutive solo home runs by Ozzie Albies, Matt Olson and Austin Riley. Olson’s blast was the 300th of his major league career. That surge gave the Braves a 4-0 lead and appeared to put them in control.
But Seattle answered immediately in the bottom of the sixth. Braves starter JR Ritchie had departed after five innings, having allowed three earned runs on four hits with two strikeouts. Carlos Carrasco entered for the sixth. The Mariners loaded the bases on walks to Randy Arozarena and Dominic Canzone before Raley drove a 1-0 pitch from Carrasco over the right-center field wall for his sixth homer of the season, scoring Arozarena and Canzone to cut the lead to 4-3.
Carrasco then struck out Cole Young, but walked Mitch Garver and struck out Leo Rivas. With two outs, Crawford stepped in and launched a two-run homer to right field, scoring Garver and giving Seattle a 5-4 lead. Julio Rodriguez flied out to end the inning.
The Mariners’ bullpen made the lead stand. Jose A. Ferrer pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings, allowing one hit and striking out one. Eduard Bazardo worked two-thirds of an inning, surrendering one hit while striking out one. Andrés Muñoz closed the door in the ninth, allowing one hit and striking out two to earn his seventh save.
Gilbert earned the win, improving to 2-3. He tossed six innings, giving up six hits and four earned runs while striking out four. Tyler Kinley took the loss for Atlanta, falling to 3-2.
For Seattle, Josh Naylor had two hits, including a double, and reached base three times. Rodriguez singled in the eighth.
For Atlanta, Austin Riley went 2 for 4 with a homer. Baldwin finished 1 for 4 with a home run and a walk. Eli White singled in the seventh and Dominic Smith singled in the ninth, but the Braves could not push across the tying run. The final out came on a groundout by Baldwin.
The Braves had entered the game riding a four-game winning streak after sweeping a three-game series in Colorado over the weekend and taking the finale of a four-game set against Detroit at home on April 30. Atlanta’s record stands at 25-11, best in the National League East.
Seattle improved to 17-19, still in fourth place in the American League West. The Mariners had lost three straight to Kansas City over the weekend before snapping that skid with Monday’s comeback.
The game featured a strong start from Atlanta’s Ritchie, who allowed only four hits and three earned runs over five innings while striking out two. But the Mariners broke through against the bullpen. Carrasco gave up three runs on one hit in 1 1/3 innings, walking three and striking out one. The decisive blow came off Kinley, who had entered in the sixth and allowed Crawford’s homer.
Defensively, both teams turned double plays. The Braves turned two — one on a line drive double play by Olson in the first inning and another on a groundout in the fourth. The Mariners turned one double play in the second inning.
Seattle’s victory was fueled by patience at the plate. Mariners hitters drew six walks, including three in the pivotal sixth inning. Atlanta’s pitching staff issued seven walks total.
The Mariners also benefited from a successful challenge in the first inning. J.P. Crawford’s walk was confirmed after a challenge of a pitch result.
Atlanta’s lineup produced nine hits but left seven runners on base. The Braves struck out 10 times, including three by Olson and two by both Ozzie Albies and Sean Murphy.
The series continues Tuesday night at T-Mobile Park. Atlanta will face Seattle again Wednesday before traveling to Los Angeles to take on the Dodgers in a three-game weekend series beginning Friday. Seattle will host the Braves for the second game of the series Tuesday, then travel to Chicago to face the White Sox for a three-game set beginning Friday.
Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Atlanta Braves 8, Seattle Mariners 5. Interstat’s ELO system gave Seattle a 50.10 percent probability to win. Seattle was installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of minus 1.5. The total score of nine runs went under the over/under line of 7.5.