BALTIMORE (AP) — Rookie Tomoyuki Sugano earned his 10th victory by working 5 1/3 sharp innings before a lengthy rain delay, and the Baltimore Orioles defeated the Seattle Mariners 5-3 on Thursday.
Julio Rodríguez homered for Seattle, which has dropped consecutive games since winning eight in a row. The Mariners (67-55) fell 1 1/2 games behind AL West-leading Houston.
Catcher Cal Raleigh, who leads the majors with 45 home runs, was out of Seattle’s starting lineup for only the fifth time this season. He walked as pinch-hitter in the ninth.
Sugano (10-5) won back-to-back starts for the first time. The 35-year-old from Japan threw 81 pitches and was pulled after the 2-hour, 18-minute delay.
Rodriguez hit reliever Rico Garcia’s fourth pitch after play resumed into the bleachers in right-center, a two-run shot to bring the Mariners within 5-2.
Dietrich Enns allowed Randy Arozarena's one-out RBI grounder in the ninth, but retired Josh Naylor on one pitch to earn his first save since Sept. 20, 2021.
The Orioles took the lead against Logan Evans (6-5) in the fourth inning. Jordan Westburg scored on Evans’ two-out wild pitch, and Ryan Mountcastle moved from first to third on the same play when Evans couldn’t field catcher Mitch Garver’s throw. After Daniel Johnson walked, Mountcastle scored when he and Johnson executed a double steal. Johnson came around on Jeremiah Jackson’s RBI single.
Baltimore added Gunnar Henderson’s RBI double and Mountcastle’s sacrifice fly in the fifth.
Evans allowed three runs --- two earned --- in four innings and matched the shortest outing of his 15-start career.
Key moment
Orioles reliever Keegan Akin got Naylor to ground out to second to end the seventh, stranding two runners and preserving a 5-2 lead.
Key stat
Sugano is 3-0 with a 2.31 ERA in his last four starts.
Up next
Mariners RHP Luis Castillo (8-6, 3.19 ERA) starts the opener of a three-game series against the host New York Mets. Baltimore has not announced its pitching plans for Friday’s game at Houston.
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AP MLB: https://www.apnews.com/hub/MLB
Patrick Stevens, The Associated Press
