SEATTLE — Eugenio Suárez hit a three-run home run in the 10th inning and the Seattle Mariners beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 6-3 on Sunday for their sixth win in seven games.
The Mariners took a 3-1 lead with the help of solo home runs by Julio Rodríguez and Cal Raleigh, but blew it in the eighth with an error and a wild pitch that allowed the Pirates to rally to a 3-all tie. Suárez entered the 10th inning 0 for 3 before hitting his sixth homer, to deep left field off former Cincinnati Reds teammate Robert Stephenson (0-3).
“I knew Stephenson was going to come with a slider I was ready for that pitch,” Suárez said. “He left a hanger right there in my strike zone and I was ready to put it in play."
The once NL-leading Pirates have lost four of five and have not won a series in May.
Rodríguez’s first inning shot to left field slipped over the top of left fielder Connor Joe’s glove for a 1-0 lead. And Raleigh’s third-inning blast just carried over Andrew McCutchen’s glove in right. Both homers came off Pirates rookie starter Luis Ortiz.
Kelenic made it 3-1 with an RBI double into the left-field corner in the fifth to score Crawford.
Tayler Saucedo (1-0) pitched the 10th for the win, striking out Ke’Bryan Hayes to get out of a bases-loaded jam.
“Sauce is a dog,” Seattle starter Marco Gonzales said after earning a no-decision, leaving in the sixth with a 3-1 lead.
Mariners manager Scott Servais warned of the dangers of free bases before the game and pulled Gonzales in the sixth after he issued a two-out walk. But Crawford committed a one-out throwing error to put McCutchen into scoring position in the eighth before the Pirates got to the Mariners’ usually reliable bullpen later in the inning.
Bryan Reynolds cut the lead to 3-2 with an RBI triple off reliever Justin Topa into the corner in right. After a Topa strikeout to get to two outs, Paul Sewald entered the game and walked Jack Suwinski with a wild pitch, scoring Reynolds for the 3-3 tie.
Ji Hwan Bae doubled off reliever Trevor Gott, who then walked Josh Palacio with an out in the ninth. But Crawford started a 6-4-3 double play on McCutchen’s grounder to end the threat.
“We had many opportunities to extend the lead but we didn't capitalize on it and you're gonna have to do that to win games," Pirates manager Derek Shelton said.
Bae made a running, behind-the-head grab on Crawford’s hard-hit fly ball before crashing into the center-field wall for the third out in the ninth to send the game to extra innings.
The Mariners are three games above .500 for the first time this season and 3-5 in extra innings.
“We never quit,” Suárez said. “Even when they tied it, we still battled."
TRAINER’S ROOM
Pirates: 1B Carlos Santana left the game in the sixth inning with lumbar spine muscular tightness.
UP NEXT
Pirates: LHP Rich Hill (4-4, 4.27 ERA) opens the series at San Francisco on Monday. He’s 4-2 in his last seven starts.
Mariners: RHP Bryce Miller (4-1, 1.15) takes the mound Monday against the New York Yankees. All five of the rookie’s appearances have been quality starts.
