The Sports Xchange
Jun 22, 2017
SEATTLE -- The Seattle Mariners, who didn't have a baserunner for the first five innings, rallied for a 7-5 victory against the Detroit Tigers on Wednesday night at Safeco Field.
Robinson Cano broke a 4-4 tie with a two-run double with two outs in the seventh inning and Nelson Cruz followed with a run-scoring single for Seattle, which won its fourth consecutive game to reach the .500 mark (37-37).
The Mariners' Mitch Haniger led off the seventh with a home run to left field, his sixth homer of the season, to even the score at 4-4.
Reliever Tony Zych (3-2) got the victory and Edwin Diaz, despite allowing a ninth-inning solo homer by Ian Kinsler, got his 12th save.
Shane Greene (1-1) allowed four runs on three hits in one inning of relief for Detroit (32-39), which dropped its fifth in a row and wasted a strong start by veteran right-hander Justin Verlander.
Verlander retired the first 16 batters before Jarrod Dyson's bunt single with one out in the sixth inning.
Verlander walked the next batter, Mike Zunino, and Jean Segura hit a broken-bat blooper down the left-field line that dropped, loading the bases. After fouling off three straight pitches, Ben Gamel lined a run-scoring single to center to pull Seattle within 4-1.
Verlander caught Cano looking at a called third strike, but Cruz lined a two-run double down the left-field line to pull Seattle within 4-3 and end Verlander's night.
The way Verlander was pitching, the Tigers had seemingly put the game away with two runs in the sixth to extend their lead to 4-0.
Miguel Cabrera led off with a single up the middle and J.D. Martinez hit a soft liner to center. The ball dropped just in front of Dyson, who had a chance to throw out Cabrera at second. Dyson's errant throw skipped all the way into the Detroit dugout, putting runners at second and third.
Justin Upton delivered a two-run single to left field to make it 4-0.
McCann, who entered the game batting .178, broke a scoreless tie in the third inning with an opposite-field homer, his eighth homer of the season, into the first row of seats in the right-field corner.
Detroit doubled the lead in the fourth as Martinez led off with a double into the left-field corner and scored on Upton's single to center.
Seattle starter James Paxton allowed four runs (three earned) and nine hits in 5 1/3 innings. He walked two and struck out eight.
NOTES: Seattle SS Jean Segura was activated from the 10-day disabled list before the game and batted leadoff. Segura had been out since June 1 with a right high ankle sprain. ... The Mariners called up RHP Andrew Moore and announced he's scheduled to make his major league debut Thursday in the finale of the four-game series. The Tigers are set to counter with RHP Daniel Norris (4-4, 4.42 ERA). That means veteran RHP Yovani Gallardo (3-7, 3.60) is headed for the Seattle bullpen. ... To make room on the roster for Segura and Moore, the Mariners sent INF Tyler Smith and RHP Christian Bergman to Triple-A Tacoma and designated RHP Tyler Cloyd for assignment.