By Tim Booth / Associated Press
SEATTLE — Eugenio Suárez and Ty France each clubbed a two-run homer, Logan Gilbert and three relievers combined on a four-hitter and the Seattle Mariners emerged from their offensive slump with a 5-0 win over the Minnesota Twins on Tuesday night.
Suárez hit his team-leading 12th long ball of the season in the fourth and France launched his 10th homer an inning later to chase Minnesota starter Joe Ryan. Sam Haggerty added an RBI double in the seventh.
Seattle had scored three runs or fewer in four of the previous six games. The Mariners are 25-10 when scoring four or more this season.
While the offensive boost was welcomed, Gilbert (7-2) didn’t need it. The young right-hander lowered his ERA to 2.22, striking out six and walking only one over six innings. Gilberto Celestino, batting in the No. 9 spot, and Carlos Correa both had two singles off Gilbert, but the rest of the Twins’ lineup found no success.
The one time Minnesota threatened came in the sixth with runners at first and second and two outs, but Gilbert struck out Max Kepler on a 3-2 pitch.
Erik Swanson, Diego Castillo and Matt Festa each worked an inning of relief to finish the shutout.
Ryan (5-3) made his first start since being placed on the COVID-19 injured list May 25. He retired 11 of his first 12 batters before Julio Rodríguez’s double with one out in the fourth, and Suárez followed with a towering home run down left field line. An inning later with Ryan laboring, France connected on a hanging breaking ball on the first pitch.
Ryan gave up five hits and struck out three in 4.2 innings.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Twins: Manager Rocco Baldelli said INF Jorge Polanco is not seeing the improvement in his injured back the team was hoping for and would be getting some imagining done to see if there is something more going on. Polanco has sat the past two games.
Mariners: SS J.P. Crawford was scratched about an hour before first pitch. Crawford was batting in the leadoff spot. Dylan Moore replaced Crawford at shortstop. … OF Jesse Winker was given the night off. Manager Scott Servais had planned to give his outfielders a day off each during this homestand, but Winker has been a major disappointment at the plate. He is batting just .208 and has six hits in his past 39 at-bats.
UP NEXT
Twins: RHP Sonny Gray (3-1, 2.41 ERA) is expected to be reinstated from the 15-day IL after missing time with a right pectoral strain. Gray has not started for the Twins since May 29 when he threw six innings against Kansas City.
Mariners: LHP Marco Gonzales (3-6, 3.63) makes his 13th start of the season. Gonzales lasted 4.1 innings in his last start against Boston, allowing two runs and two hits with a career-high six walks.
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