Mariners pounce on Twins early, cruise to 10-0 victory

SEATTLE – J.P. Crawford homered on J.A. Happ’s first pitch, Shed Long Jr. added a three-run triple an inning later and the Seattle Mariners thumped the Minnesota Twins 10-0 on Tuesday night.

Seattle starter Chris Flexen tossed eight sharp innings while striking out a career-high eight, and was backed by an early offensive outburst that scored five runs in the first two innings.

Crawford became the first Mariners player to homer on the opening pitch since Dustin Ackley in 2012 when he drove Happ’s fastball out to right field for his fourth of the season.

Long, recently recalled from the minors after a lengthy recovery from a stress fracture in his shin sustained last season, provided the big blow in the second inning with a bases-loaded liner into the right-center gap and capped the triple with a belly-flop slide into third base.

Jake Fraley and Ty France added RBI singles, and Luis Torrens and France both hit solo homers late in the game. France had not homered since April 18. Seattle set a season high for runs and matched its season best in hits with 14.

Flexen (6-3) had never pitched beyond the seventh, but scattered four hits and twice had baserunners quickly eliminated by double plays. No runner reached second base for the Twins as Flexen walked none, and only a pitch count of 107 kept him from attempting to finish a complete game.

It was the sixth time in 12 starts this season that Flexen has allowed one earned run or none.

Happ (3-3) lasted just four innings, the third time in his past seven starts the lefty failed to pitch into the fifth. Aside from Crawford’s homer and Long’s triple, Happ wasn’t hit especially hard, but the quantity added up to trouble. His nine hits allowed matched a season high.