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Seattle Mariners

Nelson Cruz’s homer leads Mariners to 6-3 win over Athletics

Seattle Mariners
Seattle Mariners' Nelson Cruz hits a three-run home run in front of Oakland Athletics catcher Jonathan Lucroy during the fifth inning of a baseball game Tuesday, May 1, 2018, in Seattle. (Elaine Thompson / AP)
Associated Press

SEATTLE – Nelson Cruz hit a tiebreaking three-run homer in the fifth inning, Dee Gordon had five hits, and Felix Hernandez pitched six solid innings, propelling the Seattle Mariners to a 6-3 win over the Oakland Athletics on Tuesday night.

A gritty start by A’s righty Andrew Triggs that kept his team in a 1-1 deadlock through four taut innings at Safeco Field unraveled in the fifth. With two outs and two runners on, Cruz hammered Triggs’ first pitch over the fence in left-center, giving Seattle a lead it would not relinquish.

The Mariners held on for their third consecutive victory and sixth in their last seven.

Seattle closer Edwin Diaz struck out two in a shutout ninth to notch his majors-leading 12th save, protecting a quality start by Hernandez (4-2), who gave up three runs and three hits while striking out seven and walking four.

Jed Lowrie gave Oakland a 1-0 lead in the first inning with his seventh home run of the season, but the Mariners answered in the second. After Kyle Seager led off with a ground-rule double, Mike Zunino lined a game-tying double out of the reach of A’s left fielder Matt Joyce, knotting the game at 1.

Triggs and Hernandez traded scoreless innings until the pivotal bottom of the fifth. Gordon legged out a one-out infield single and advanced to second on a wild pitch, and Jean Segura worked a walk. After Robinson Cano flied out to the wall in right-center field, Cruz didn’t waste any time changing the momentum of the game, connecting on a 410-foot shot, his sixth homer of the season.

Triggs (2-1) lost for the first time in 2018 after lasting 4 2/3 innings and giving up four runs on six hits, striking out three and walking four.

The Mariners scored again in the sixth off A’s reliever Lou Trivino when Gordon’s single, his fourth hit of the night, pushed Ryon Healy to third, setting up Segura for a sacrifice fly to right field. That run proved to be crucial when the A’s clawed back in the seventh, scoring twice and chasing Hernandez in the process.

The right-hander walked Khris Davis to lead off the frame and Matt Olson doubled to right, ending Hernandez’s outing. Reliever Nick Vincent gave up a run-scoring infield single to Mark Canha and a RBI fielder’s choice to Chad Pinder before striking out Jonathan Lucroy to end the threat.

Juan Nicasio pitched a perfect eighth for the Mariners, striking out two to set it up for Diaz. Gordon, who stole two bases, singled to right in the eighth to notch his fifth hit of the night. The Mariners scored their final run of the game in that inning on Segura’s RBI groundout.