Cano, Seager hit 3-run homers, Mariners beat Twins 12-3
Published 1:30 am Tuesday, June 6, 2017
By Jim Hoehn
Associated Press
SEATTLE — Robinson Cano and Kyle Seager hit three-run homers and James Paxton was effective enough for five innings to pace Seattle to a 12-3 victory over the Minnesota Twins on Tuesday night.
Cano staked the Mariners to a 3-0 lead in the first and Seager’s shot capped a seven-run fourth inning that extended the lead to 12-2 as Seattle won for the eighth time in nine games.
Paxton (5-0), who missed most of May with a left forearm strain, allowed three runs and five hits with three walks in his second start since coming off the disabled list.
Hector Santiago (4-6) lasted just 2 2/3 innings, allowing five runs and three hits with four walks, all of which came around to score. Catcher Chris Gimenez, who was behind the plate the first seven innings, pitched the eighth, retiring all three batters he faced.
Guillermo Heredia and Danny Valencia opened the first with consecutive walks and Cano followed with his 11th homer, sending a 1-2 pitch over the wall in right-center
Santiago walked Cano and Nelson Cruz with one out in the third and Seager followed with an RBI double to right. Cruz, who has been nursing a tight hamstring, held at third, but came home on Taylor Motter’s sacrifice fly to extend the lead to 5-0.
The Twins, who managed just one walk through the first three innings, cut it to 5-2 in the fourth. Brian Dozier opened with his ninth homer. Miguel Sano doubled with one out, moved to third on a wild pitch and came home on Max Kepler’s fielder’s choice grounder.
Seattle answered with seven runs in the bottom half before the Twins got an out. Mike Zunino and Heredia singled around Jarrod Dyson being hit by a pitch to load the bases. Valencia narrowly missed a grand slam when his drive sailed just outside the left-field foul pole, but he cleared the bases with a double to center to make it 8-2.
Valencia came around on consecutive singles by Cano and Cruz and Seager followed with his sixth homer.
The Twins got to Paxton in the fifth on a single by Bryon Buxton, a walk to Dozier and Joe Mauer’s RBI single.
