The Sports Xchange
Aug 11, 2017
SEATTLE -- Mike Trout hit a three-run double to break a tie with two outs in the top of the ninth inning as the Los Angeles Angels defeated the Seattle Mariners 6-3 Thursday night at Safeco Field.
The Mariners also lost starter James Paxton to a left pectoral strain in the seventh inning.
After Seattle rallied from a three-run deficit to tie it in the eighth, the Mariners brought on closer Edwin Diaz, who was working his third straight game.
Diaz (2-5) walked the bases loaded, and Trout lined an 0-1 pitch over third baseman Kyle Seager to snap the tie.
C.J. Cron and Andrelton Simmons homered for the Angels (58-58), who moved within a game of Seattle (59-57) and Tampa Bay (59-57) for the American League's second wild-card berth.
Cam Bedrosian pitched the bottom of the ninth for his fourth save of the season.
The Mariners tied it in the eighth on home runs by Jean Segura and Nelson Cruz off Bud Norris (2-5).
With one out, Segura hit a solo homer over the center field fence, his seventh homer of the season.
An out later, Robinson Cano doubled to left-center field, bringing Cruz to the plate and a visit to the mound by Angels pitching coach Charles Nagy.
Cruz then crushed a 1-0 pitch 426 feet over the wall in right-center, making it 3-3. It was Cruz's team-leading 27th homer of the season and his sixth in the past 10 games.
They were the third and fourth homers allowed by Norris in his past seven appearances, with the other two grand slams. Norris has allowed 13 runs on 11 hits in just 4 2/3 innings in that span to lose his job as the Angels' closer.
That spoiled an outstanding effort by left-hander Tyler Skaggs, who was making just his second start since missing more than three months with a right oblique strain.
Skaggs pitched 6 1/3 scoreless innings, allowing five hits. He walked three, struck out five and was aided by three double plays.
Skaggs was lifted after allowing a one-out double to Guillermo Heredia in the bottom of the seventh. Reliever Blake Parker got Ben Gamel to ground back to the mound and then struck out pinch hitter Yonder Alonso to end the inning.
Skaggs outdueled Paxton, who was bidding for his franchise-record eighth win in as many starts. In 6 1/3 innings, Paxton allowed three runs on five hits, with one walk and six strikeouts. He was trying to break the team mark of seven straight wins he shares with Scott Bankhead (1989) and Jamie Moyer (2003).
The Angels opened the scoring as Cron led off the second inning with a home run to left-center field. It was Cron's eighth homer of the season and the first allowed by Paxton in 46 1/3 innings, snapping the longest current streak in the majors.
Los Angeles extended the lead in the fourth as Cron walked with two outs and Simmons followed with his 12th homer of the season. It was the first time Paxton allowed multiple homers in a game since June 1, 2016, at San Diego.
NOTES: The Angels called up INF Jefry Marte from Triple-A Salt Lake after sending down RHP Troy Scribner on Wednesday. ... Angels RHP JC Ramirez (10-10, 4.21 ERA) is scheduled to face Mariners LHP Marco Gonzales (0-0, 11.25) on Friday night in the second game of the series.