ATLANTA (AP) — Cal Raleigh hit his major league-leading 53rd home run and the Seattle Mariners had 20 hits as they scored their most runs since 2012 in an 18-2 rout of the Atlanta Braves on Sunday.
Eugenio Suárez homered twice, raising his season total to 45, and Jorge Polanco and Josh Naylor also went deep as the Mariners hit five homers in consecutive games for the second time in team history, the first since May 20-21, 1994.
Polanco and Naylor homered in an eight-run third inning and Raleigh hit a three-run drive in a seven-run ninth, giving him 113 RBIs. Suárez hit a solo homer in the sixth and a two-run shot in the ninth.
Seattle had its most runs since beating Texas 21-8 on May 30, 2012, and its most hits since getting 20 in that game against the Rangers. The Mariners won consecutive games for the first time since Aug. 24 against the Athletics and the following day vs. San Diego.
Seattle (75-68) has a 1 1/2-game lead over Texas (74-70) for the third and last AL wild card. The Rangers lost for the third time in four games following a six-game winning streak.
Luis Castillo (9-8) allowed one run and four hits in six innings.
Atlanta scratched scheduled starter Spencer Strider on Sunday morning and pushed him back to Tuesday against the Chicago Cubs.
Joey Wentz (5-6) gave up eight runs, matching his career high, and eight hits in 2 1/3 innings.
Key moment
After Raleigh singled in the third, Julio Rodríguez hit a sharp potential double-play grounder that deflected off third baseman Nacho Alvarez Jr.’s left thigh and into left for a three-run double that put the Mariners ahead 4-0.
Key stat
Castillo won for the first time since July 28 after going 0-2 with a 7.31 ERA in his previous six starts.
Up next
Mariners: RHP Bryan Woo (12-7, 3.02 ERA) starts at home on Monday night against St. Louis RHP Miles Mikolas (7-10, 4.89).
Braves: RHP Bryce Elder (6-9, 5.54) starts Monday night’s series opener against the Cubs and LHP Shoto Imanaga (6-9, 3.15).
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