Baseball: J.P. Crawford makes a grand slam and Mariners beat Rangers

By admin On Sep 30, 2023

J.P. Crawford made a grand slam and Ty France and Josh Rojas made individual homers to help the Seattle Mariners beat the visiting Texas Rangers 8-0 on Friday night and add even more excitement to the American League West matchup.

Mariners 8-0 Rangers

The Mariners were two games behind the division-leading Rangers and remained one game behind the Houston Astros in the fight for the third and final wild-card spot in the American League.

Crawford, whose two-run double hit with two outs in the ninth inning on Thursday gave the Mariners a 3-2 win in the series opener, went right with the bases loaded Friday against Rangers reliever Brock Burke to give Seattle an 8-0 lead.

Reliever Trent Thornton (1-2) was credited with the win, as the Mariners bullpen combined five 1/3 scoreless innings from a one-hit. Texas starter Nathan Eovaldi (12-5) allowed seven runs on five hits in four 1/3 innings.

Blue Jays 11-4 Rays

Alejandro Kirk hit a home run and three RBIs, Bo Bichette made 4 of 5 with three runs and an RBI and Toronto beat visiting Tampa Bay.

Brandon Belt and Matt Chapman hit individual home runs for the Blue Jays, who moved closer to earning a spot in the American League wild card. Toronto reduced its magic number to one to secure a playoff berth. Yusei Kikuchi (11-6) allowed three runs in more than five innings for the win.

Yandy Diaz hit a two-run home run for the Rays, who clinched first place in the AL wildcard. Aaron Civale (7-5) allowed a run in 1 2/3 innings.

Astros 2-1 Diamondbacks

Jose Abreu hit a two-run double hit and starter Jose Urquidy shot six scoreless innings to lead Houston to victory over Arizona in the opener of a three-game series in Phoenix.

Alex Bregman hit two hits and scored a run for Houston, which won its second straight game. Urquidy (3-3) gave up two hits and three walks while striking out two in a 70-pitch effort. The Astros are one game behind the first-place Rangers in the AL West. They follow Toronto for one game for second place in the wild-card. Houston trails the Mariners by one game for the third wild-card spot.

Gabriel Moreno made a double RBI for the Diamondbacks, who managed just four hits. Arizona ace Zac Gallen (17-9) allowed two runs and seven hits in 6 1/3 innings. Arizona ranks second in the National League wild-card. The Diamondbacks lead Miami by half a game.

Brewers 4-3 Cubs

Carlos Santana hit a double late in the 10th inning and host Milwaukee beat the Cubs in the opening of a three-game series.

It was an expensive loss for the Cubs, who have lost four straight times and seen their hopes of qualifying for the National League fade. Santana’s hit to the left put up Blake Perkins, who replaced hitter William Contreras.

Caleb Boushley (1-0), in his major league debut, missed a chance to save himself in the ninth game, but got the win in his major league debut. Jose Cuas (3-2) took the loss.

Red Sox 3-0 Orioles

Nick Pivetta pitched seven innings with 10 disposals and Boston beat host Baltimore, snapping a streak of five straight losses.

Garrett Whitlock pitched the final two innings of relief to end a combined three-hit shutout for the Red Sox, who recorded their third win in the last 14 games. Whitlock, who made his first save, added three more outs to Boston’s shooting total. Trevor Story made two runs for Boston with a home run in the fifth inning.

The Orioles, coming off a win in the Eastern American League the night before, snapped a streak of five straight wins. Jordan Westburg’s double and Ryan Mountcastle’s two singles were Baltimore’s only shots.

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