Field Level Media
Apr 1, 2018
Seattle outfielder Mitch Haniger hit his second home run of the season and Dee Gordon homered in a tie-breaking seventh inning in support of right-hander Mike Leake in the Mariners' 5-4 victory over the Cleveland Indians at Safeco Field on Sunday.
Gordon, acquired in the offseason from Miami to play center field, homered off right-hander Dan Otero (0-1), and Haniger hit a two-run shot off left-hander Tyler Olson after Robinson Cano singled for a 5-2 lead. Haniger is 5-for-8 with a pair of solo homers this season.
Edwin Encarnacion hit two homers and drove in three runs for the Indians (1-2), who will continue a season-opening six-game road trip at the Los Angeles Angels on Monday.
Encarnacion led off the fourth inning with a bases-empty homer off Leake to give Cleveland 2-0 lead in the fourth inning, after Bradley Zimmer singled in a run in the second inning.
The Mariners tied it at 2 with three doubles in the fifth inning off Cleveland starter Trevor Bauer. Catcher David Freitas doubled the inning and scored on a Jean Segura double to deep right field.
After Haniger was hit by a pitch with two outs, Kyle Seager hit a bad-hop double to drive in Segura. Seager's hard grounder toward first base kicked over first baseman Yonder Alonso's head. Seager and Segura had two hits apiece.
Encarnacion hit a two-run homer off right-hander Juan Nicasio to make it 5-4 in the eighth inning.
Leake (1-0) gave up two runs five hits in seven innings as the Mariners (2-1) took two out of three games from the defending AL Central champions, who won a major league-high 102 games last year.
Edwin Diaz pitched the ninth for his second save. He struck out the side for the second time in as many appearances.
Alonso had two hits for Cleveland.
Lonnie Chisenhall singled and Roberto Perez walked with one out before Zimmer's RBI single in the second inning for a 1-0 lead.
--Field Level Media