Suárez drives in run in club record 10th straight game as Mariners beat Angels 9-7 in slugfest
By JOE REEDY
AP Sports Writer
ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Seattle’s Eugenio Suárez provided the go-ahead run in the eighth inning and set a franchise record with his 10th straight game with an RBI as the Mariners defeated the Los Angeles Angels 9-7 Friday night in a slugfest where the teams combined for seven home runs.
Suárez put Seattle up 8-7 with a base hit up the middle off Reynaldo López (2-6) to bring home Julio Rodríguez. Suárez broke the previous consecutive RBI mark of nine, which was set by Edgar Martinez in 1995.
“That means a lot to me to break that record. Edgar is one of my favorite people in the word,” Suárez said. “I was so happy when I put that swing on it and hit it up the middle.”
Suárez is the first AL player since the Angels’ Jared Walsh in 2020 to have at least 10 straight games with an RBI.
“I know he was frustrated that it didn’t happen earlier in the game because he had some chances there. But the one thing about him is he’s always positive. When he goes up there, good things are going to happen,” manager Scott Servais said.
Ty France, Dylan Moore, Rodríguez and Cal Raleigh went deep for Seattle, which had its sixth four-homer game of the season. The Mariners have won three straight and five of their last six to get within 2 1/2 games of Toronto for the final wild-card spot.
Luis Rengifo, Mike Moustakas and Mickey Moniak homered for the Angels, who have dropped four straight.
Despite being aggressive near the trade deadline, the Halos have lost six of their last eight and are 5 games back in the wild-card chase.
“Positives is winning games and we’re not right now. We had plenty of offense. We’ve got to get ahead of hitters. The walks killed us today,” manager Phil Nevin said. “We have to fix things. This isn’t the time to let guys work through things. We talk about urgency. Everything is still in front of us.”
Raleigh provided some insurance with a solo shot in the ninth.
Los Angeles got its first two runners aboard in the ninth off Matt Brash, but Shohei Ohtani and C.J. Cron struck out while Mike Moustakas flew out to left to end the game to give Brash his second save.
Justin Topa (2-3) got the win with a scoreless seventh inning.
Seattle jumped out to a quick lead with four runs in the first off Angels’ starter Reid Detmers. The Mariners had four hits in the inning, including a three-run drive by France into the rockpile in left-center to make it 4-0. It was the first baseman’s first homer since June 22 against the Yankees.
Rengifo quickly got the Angels on the board when he launched Luis Castillo’s first-pitch fastball into the right-field stands. It was Rengifo’s second leadoff homer in the past four games.
The Mariners answered though when Moore led off the second with a solo shot to left-center.
Los Angeles evened it at 5 with four in the third, which included Mike Moustakas’ three-run homer to right. Moose nearly tripped over home plate as he came across with the tying run.
Seattle went back on top in the fourth on Rodriguez’s two-run shot into the elevated stands in right-center before the Angels tied it on Moniak’s two-run drive into the center-field shrubs.
TOSSED
Angels hitting coach Marcus Thames was ejected during the second inning by home plate umpire Adrian Johnson.
STREAKING ALONG
C.J. Cron extended the major’s longest active hitting streak to 14 games with an RBI base hit in the third inning. The first eight games happened with Colorado before Cron was traded on July 30 to the Angels.
Cron is batting 17 of 55 with 12 RBIs during the streak, which is the longest of his career.
STAYING HOT
Seattle’s Teoscar Hernández had three hits and has gone 9 for 30 in his last six games.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Angels: Ohtani is likely to make his next start on Wednesday against San Francisco despite having cramping in his right hand on Thursday. … INF Zach Neto was placed on the 10-day injured list due to low back inflammation and INF Brandon Drury was activated.
UP NEXT
Mariners: RHP George Kirby (9-8, 3.43 ERA) has walked only 14 in 128 2/3 innings pitched.
Angels: LHP Tyler Anderson (5-2, 4.98 ERA) is tied for seventh in the majors with 11 no-decisions.
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