Field Level Media
Aug 7, 2019
Mallex Smith led off the bottom of the eighth inning with a double and scored the go-ahead run as the Seattle Mariners snapped a five-game losing streak with a 3-2 victory against the San Diego Padres on Wednesday afternoon.
Kyle Seager homered for Seattle, which had lost to the Padres seven straight times in interleague play.
Fernando Tatis Jr. and Francisco Mejia homered for the Padres.
Smith hit a soft liner to left-center off right-hander Andres Munoz that Padres left fielder Wil Myers made a diving attempt to catch, but the ball dropped just in front of him, with the speedy Smith taking second. J.P. Crawford then put down a bunt just in front of the plate, with Padres catcher Austin Hedges trying to throw out the lead runner. Smith was originally ruled out, but video review showed he got his hand to the base before the tag by third baseman Manny Machado.
After Munoz fanned Domingo Santana for the first out of the inning, Daniel Vogelbach hit a slow chopper to Tatis at shortstop that had all the makings of an inning-ending double play. But Vogelbach legged it out, beating the throw from second baseman Luis Urias as Smith scored.
Matt Magill (3-0) pitched a scoreless eighth for the victory, and fellow right-hander Anthony Bass earned his second save. Munoz (0-1) got his first decision in the major leagues, a loss.
Mariners left-hander Yusei Kikuchi allowed a leadoff home run to Tatis on the sixth pitch of the game but settled down and didn't allow another run in his five innings. He gave up four hits, walked three and struck out eight.
Padres left-hander Joey Lucchesi allowed two runs on five hits in 5 1/3 innings, with one walk and eight strikeouts. He left after Vogelbach led off the sixth by hitting a comebacker off Lucchesi's calf.
Tatis led off the game with a home run into the second deck in left field, his 21st.
The Mariners tied it in the second, as Tom Murphy tripled to left and Seager followed with a run-scoring groundout to second.
Seager's solo shot to right, his 11th, in the fourth gave the Mariners a 2-1 lead.
Mejia homered in the sixth, his fifth, to tie the score.
--Field Level Media