SEATTLE (Interstat) — Matt Olson hit a tiebreaking solo home run in the ninth inning and Bryce Elder struck out nine over six innings as the Atlanta Braves defeated the Seattle Mariners 3-2 on Tuesday night at T-Mobile Park.

Olson’s 13th homer of the season, a drive to center field off Mariners closer Andrés Muñoz, snapped a 2-2 deadlock and provided the decisive margin in a game that featured dominant starting pitching and a tense bullpen duel. The Braves improved to 26-11, while the Mariners fell to 17-20.

Elder allowed two runs on two hits and two walks, striking out nine in a performance that rebounded from back-to-back losses in his previous two outings. The right-hander yielded both Seattle runs on J.P. Crawford’s two-run homer in the third inning but otherwise kept the Mariners’ lineup in check. After Crawford’s blast, Elder retired 11 of the next 12 batters he faced, including six strikeouts over the final four innings of his start.

Seattle starter George Kirby matched Elder for much of the night, working seven innings and allowing two runs on five hits with five strikeouts. Kirby allowed a two-run double to Mauricio Dubón in the fourth that erased the Mariners’ early lead, but he blanked Atlanta thereafter, leaving with the score tied 2-2.

The Braves bullpen took over from there, with Dylan Lee striking out three in a perfect seventh inning and Robert Suarez firing a clean eighth with two strikeouts to earn the win, improving to 3-0. Raisel Iglesias worked a tense ninth, allowing a one-out single to Josh Naylor but striking out Randy Arozarena and getting Dominic Canzone to ground out for his sixth save.

Seattle’s bullpen also performed well, with Jose A. Ferrer striking out two in a scoreless eighth. But Muñoz, who had converted all three save opportunities entering the game, could not protect the tie in the ninth. After Olson’s homer, Muñoz retired the next three Braves but took the loss, dropping to 3-3.

The game’s pivotal sequence occurred in the bottom of the third. With one out, Mitch Garver walked and Leo Rivas flied out, bringing Crawford to the plate. Crawford launched his fourth homer of the season to right field, scoring Garver and giving Seattle a 2-0 lead. Elder had allowed only a single through the first two innings, but the two-run blast put the Mariners ahead.

Atlanta answered immediately in the top of the fourth. Ozzie Albies led off with a single and Olson followed with a single of his own, putting runners at first and third. After Michael Harris II grounded out, Dubón lined a double to right field, scoring both Albies and Olson to tie the game 2-2. Dubón finished 2-for-3 with two RBIs.

The score remained deadlocked through the middle innings as both starters settled in. Kirby worked around a two-out single in the fifth and a two-out walk in the sixth, while Elder stranded a runner at second in the fourth and set down the side in order in the fifth and sixth. Elder exited after six innings having thrown 95 pitches, with the game tied.

Lee struck out the side in the seventh, including Rob Refsnyder, Cole Young and Mitch Garver, keeping the Mariners off the board. Suarez worked a perfect eighth, striking out Julio Rodríguez and Naylor before getting Arozarena to ground out.

In the top of the ninth, Olson led off against Muñoz and drove a 1-1 pitch over the center-field wall. It was the only hit the Braves managed in the final two innings, but it proved enough. Iglesias allowed a leadoff single to Naylor in the ninth but responded by striking out Arozarena and getting Canzone to ground out to second.

The Braves had six hits in the game, led by Olson’s 2-for-3 day with a walk and a home run and Dubón’s double. Crawford accounted for both Seattle runs with his homer, going 1-for-4, while Naylor had two of Seattle’s three hits.

The win allowed Atlanta to split the two-game series after losing 5-4 in the series opener Monday night. The Braves conclude their road trip Wednesday against Seattle before heading to Los Angeles for a weekend series against the Dodgers. The Mariners will also face the Braves again Wednesday before traveling to Chicago to play the White Sox.

Attendance was announced at 27,128, and the game lasted 2 hours, 20 minutes.

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. The Mariners were installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of minus-1.5. The total of five runs went over the over-under line of 7.5.