Subscribe now
Seattle Mariners

Mike Zunino’s two-run homer in ninth inning gives Seattle Mariners win over Minnesota

Seattle players surround Mike Zunino and tip a giant container of sports drink after his two-run home run in the ninth inning gave the Mariners a 6-5 win over the Minnesota Twins on Wednesday in Seattle. (Elaine Thompson / Associated Press)
Associated Press

SEATTLE – Mike Zunino hit his second homer of the game with two outs in the ninth inning, a two-run shot that gave the surging Seattle Mariners a 6-5 comeback victory over the Minnesota Twins on Wednesday night.

Kyle Seager and Carlos Ruiz also homered for the Mariners, who overcame a three-run deficit and won for the ninth time in 10 games.

Ben Gamel singled with two outs in the ninth off closer Brandon Kintzler (2-1). Zunino, who hit a solo shot in the third, sent a 2-1 pitch over the center-field wall for his fourth home run.

Edwin Diaz (2-2) pitched a scoreless inning for the win.

After trailing 5-2, the Mariners scored once in the fifth and pulled to 5-4 in the sixth on Seager’s seventh homer.

Miguel Sano’s three-run homer capped a four-run fifth against Seattle starter Yovani Gallardo – all with two outs. Ehire Adrianza doubled and Brian Dozier walked. Joe Mauer hit an RBI single to tie it 2-all, and Sano followed with his 15th homer.

Seattle got a run back in the fifth after Zunino walked and Ruiz was hit by a pitch. Zunino advanced to third on Guillermo Heredia’s flyout to center and came home on Tyler Smith’s sacrifice fly.

Gallardo gave up five runs and six hits in a season-high seven innings.

Zunino and Ruiz, batting eighth and ninth, opened the third with consecutive homers to put Seattle up 2-1. Zunino lined the first pitch of the inning to left field. Ruiz, filling in at designated hitter for ailing Nelson Cruz, followed with a drive into the upper deck in left for his first home run of the season.

Dozier had an RBI single in the third.

Mariners first baseman Danny Valencia was ejected after grounding out to end the eighth and then yelling at plate umpire Dan Iassogna.

Cruz, bothered by a sore right calf for more than a week, had an MRI.

“I don’t know how long he’s going to be out. Maybe a day or two. He’s got something going on there, just a tightness in the calf,” M’s manager Scott Servais said.

Meanwhile, M’s right-hander Felix Hernandez (right shoulder inflammation) struggled in his first rehab start Tuesday with Triple-A Tacoma, allowing five runs and four hits in two innings.

“His arm wasn’t bothering him. He’s throwing all of his pitches. He wasn’t holding back there at all, but I think the timing of his delivery – you have to execute pitches and it’s hard when you haven’t done it for a while,” Servais said.

Mariners righty Christian Bergman (3-2, 4.36) will make his sixth start Thursday since being called up May 7. He has won his last two, pitching seven scoreless innings at Boston and then giving up two runs in six innings against Tampa Bay.

Righty Kyle Gibson (2-4, 7.23 ERA) starts the finale of the three-game series for the Twins. Gibson has won two of his last three outings, but has not lasted more than 5 2/3 innings in any of his nine starts.