Robbie Ray pitched seven strong innings, Dylan Moore hit a three-run home run after getting a key break and the Seattle Mariners beat the visiting Cleveland Guardians 4-0 on Sunday afternoon.
Seattle concluded a weekend when it inducted Ichiro Suzuki into its Hall of Fame and celebrated his tenure with the team by winning for the eighth time in 12 games and improving to 41-19 in its past 60 games.
Ray (11-8) won his season-high third straight start by holding the Guardians to three hits. The left-hander struck out seven, walked none and threw first-pitch strikes to 16 of 23 hitters.
Moore was inserted into the starting lineup when regular shortstop J.P. Crawford was a late scratch with a minor pectoral injury. He hit his first homer since July 7 when he connected in the fifth off Cleveland starter Aaron Civale (2-6).
Ty France, who entered Sunday hitless in 20 at-bats, added a homer in the seventh.
Civale allowed four runs on four hits in 6 1/3 innings as Cleveland lost a series for the first time since dropping two of three to Kansas City July 8-10.
Ray allowed one baserunner through the first five innings, when Oscar Gonzalez singled in the second before getting caught stealing.
Meanwhile, Moore homered after nearly making the third out in the fifth.
Cleveland first baseman Owen Miller nearly made a catch on Moore’s foul pop in the fifth, but the ball popped out of Miller’s glove and rolled on the screen, and first base umpire Ramon De Jesus emphatically ruled no play was made. On the next pitch, Moore slugged a 2-2 curveball to left.
In the sixth, Cleveland put runners at second and third when Andres Gimenez doubled and took third on a single by Austin Hedges. Gimenez stayed at third when right fielder Mitch Haniger made a strong throw on Myles Straw’s fly ball. Steven Kwan then popped up and Ray whiffed Amed Rosario on a 93 mph fastball to escape the jam.
Seattle upped its lead to 4-0 in the seventh when France blasted a 1-0 sinker into the upper deck in left for his 15th homer.
Erik Swanson stranded two in a scoreless eighth by fanning Kwan on three pitches. Paul Sewald finished up Seattle’s seventh shutout with a 1-2-3 ninth.
–Field Level Media
