SEATTLE (AP) — Randy Arozarena hit a go-ahead, three-run home run in the third inning as part of a four-RBI night as the Seattle Mariners beat the St. Louis Cardinals 5-3 on Tuesday to close within one game of the AL West lead.
Arozarena hit his 27th homer, four more than his previous career high. He turned on a fastball down the middle from Matthew Liberatore (7-12), a no-doubt drive that prompted Arozarena to stunt a pose in the direction of the Mariners’ dugout.
Then in the fifth inning, Arozarena added to Seattle’s lead with a sacrifice fly in an inning that included Josh Naylor’s 19th homer, a solo drive that he followed with an impressive bat flip toward the dugout.
Seattle moved with one game of division-leading Houston, its closest since mid-August, and maintained a 1 1/2-game lead over Texas for the final AL wild card.
George Kirby allowed three runs and seven hits over four sluggish innings. Five pitchers combined with two-hit relief, with Caleb Ferguson (4-4) striking out two in a perfect fifth and Andrés Muñoz working around José Fermín’s two-out single for his 34th save in 41 chances.
Key moment
St. Louis’ Pedro Pagés poked a hard-hit groundball to the right side of the infield to lead off the ninth inning, but Naylor made a fine play to take away a single.
Key stat
, over which he’s driven in seven runs and hit three home runs. In 17 home games at T-Mobile Park since being acquired from Arizona, Naylor is hitting .379 with 12 runs, five doubles, 13 RBIs, eight stolen bases and five walks.
Up next
Cardinals RHP Michael McGreevy (6-3, 4.68) and Mariners RHP Logan Gilbert (4-6, 3.61) start Wednesday night’s finale of the three-game series.
___
AP MLB:
