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Seattle Mariners

Mariners win 10-9, hand Orioles 10th straight loss

Seattle Mariners' Dylan Moore, right, celebrates with teammate Domingo Santana after hitting a solo home run off Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher Sean Gilmartin during the second inning of a baseball game, Friday, June 21, 2019, in Seattle. (Stephen Brashear / AP)
By Chris Talbott Associated Press

SEATTLE – Kyle Seager, Dylan Moore and Mac Williamson all homered to help Seattle build a big lead, and the Mariners held off Baltimore’s comeback in a 10-9 win Friday night that handed the Orioles their 10th straight loss.

Mallex Smith reached base five times, stole two bases and scored four runs to help the Mariners take a 10-3 lead in the fifth inning.

The Orioles then scored five in the sixth and one in the seventh to pull within one, but they couldn’t tie it.

Baltimore has its longest skid since 2010 and is 8-32 since last winning consecutive games on May 4 and 6 against Tampa Bay and Boston. The streak is tied for the eighth-longest in team history, according to STATS, and is almost halfway to the team record of 21 set in 1988.

Smith, J.P. Crawford and Domingo Santana – the Mariners’ 1-2-3 hitters – reached base safely 11 consecutive times before the Orioles finally struck out Santana in the fifth inning. During that span they had seven hits and drew four walks with five RBIs and five runs scored. Smith and Crawford had a hit in each of the first three innings. Smith was 3 for 3 with two walks.

Baltimore’s first three pitchers – emergency starter Sean Gilmartin (0-1), Branden Kline and Tanner Scott – are all minor-league call-ups. Kline and Scott began their day at minor league road destinations in Pennsylvania and arrived in Seattle during the afternoon after cross-country flights, two of the 15 roster moves the club has made to its bullpen in the last seven days. Gilmartin, making his first appearance of the season, gave up five runs in 2 1/3 innings. Kline gave up four runs in four innings. And Scott lasted just two-thirds of an inning, walking three and giving up a run.

Yet, the Orioles were in the game as late as the sixth inning when they battered starter Mike Leake (7-6) for five runs to cut the deficit to 10-8. Leake started roughly, giving up four straight hits in the first inning to fall behind 3-0. But his team turned a double play to end the run and Leake went on to retire 14 straight before Jonathan Villar’s leadoff double in the sixth.

Leake induced a groundout, but then allowed six straight baserunners on five hits and a fielder’s choice with run-scoring hits by Dwight Smith Jr., Chance Sisco and Hanser Alberto to chase Leake and cut the lead to two.

Leake gave up eight runs and 11 hits in 5 1/3 innings.

Reliever Cory Gearin got out of the inning by forcing two groundouts, but gave up a run in the seventh to cut it to 10-9. Roenis Elias pitched the ninth for his ninth save and second in two days.