SEATTLE (AP) — Cal Raleigh drove in the winning run with a walk-off fielder’s choice in the 10th inning and the Seattle Mariners beat the Minnesota Twins 3-2 on Friday night.
Raleigh hit a grounder to Twins reliever Cole Sands (2-1), who threw home to try to keep J.P. Crawford from scoring. The throw sailed high and Crawford was safe.
It was the fourth career walk-off for Raleigh, and his second this season.
“I kind of got rewarded for swinging at a bad pitch, but you know, it’s kind of how baseball is sometimes,” Raleigh said. “You’ve just got to put the ball in play. Definitely, probably not the right way to do it there, but we take what we can get.”
The rally capped off what started as a pitchers’ duel, as Minnesota’s Bailey Ober and Mariners starter Logan Gilbert both pitched well early.
Ober faced the minimum before walking a pair in the fourth, and Gilbert allowed just three hits in the first five innings.
The Mariners took a 1-0 lead in the fifth when Josh Rojas hit an RBI double, but Carlos Correa put the Twins ahead with a two-run homer off Gilbert in the sixth.
Gilbert allowed four hits and two earned runs over six innings with three strikeouts, while Ober allowed one run on two hits, with three walks and nine strikeouts.
Correa’s homer ended a 21-inning scoreless streak for Gilbert, the longest by a Mariners pitcher this season. It was also his major league-best 14th quality start in 17 appearances. In five June starts, Gilbert had one walk and 31 strikeouts.
“That’s what you do when you’re a top-end starter,” manager Scott Servais said. “He’s been carrying us, every time out there I feel like we’re going to win the game and he’s going to throw a shutout. Close tonight, unfortunately Correa got him. But great win and great way to start the series.”
Seattle tied the game on a wild play in the eighth, as Julio Rodríguez hit a groundball to third baseman Jose Miranda, who missed a tag on baserunner Luke Raley before throwing the ball past Carlos Santana at first base for an error.
Raley scored on the play, while Rojas and Rodríguez each advanced a base.
“I think there were some funky plays off the bat that we had to deal with today,” Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said. “But overall, I wouldn’t say we played a poor ballgame. I would say we played a decent ballgame.”
Ryne Stanek (5-1) pitched a scoreless top of the 10th inning, as the bullpen threw four shutout innings with just two hits allowed.
“That’s a tough lineup over there,” Gilbert said. “They’re a really good team on both sides of the ball, but the bullpen doing what they do, I have full confidence in them.”
ROSTER MOVE
Seattle recalled LHP Jhonathan Díaz from Triple- A Tacoma, and optioned RHP Cody Bolton.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Mariners: RHP Gregory Santos (lat strain) threw a live batting practice session Friday, and will start a rehab assignment on July 2 in Triple-A Tacoma. Santos hasn’t pitched yet this season after getting injured in spring training … LHP Gabe Speier (rotator cuff) will throw a bullpen on Tuesday, and is expected to return around the All-Star break … RHP Bryan Woo had an MRI that showed mild inflammation in his hamstring, but GM Justin Hollander doesn’t expect a lengthy IL stint.
UP NEXT
Twins RHP Pablo López (7-6, 5.11 ERA) will pitch Saturday against Mariners RHP Bryce Miller (6-6, 3.90 ERA)
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