SEATTLE – J.P. Crawford had a career day, Yusei Kikuchi had his best outing in a month and the Seattle Mariners used an eight-run third inning to thump the Baltimore Orioles 13-3 on Sunday.
Kikuchi (4-5) had lost four straight decisions coming into the game, raising concerns about his transition from Japan to the majors, especially with his velocity ticking down. In his previous five starts, Kikuchi allowed 44 hits and 23 earned runs and had not pitched past the fifth inning.
Sunday was a marginal improvement, even if it started out shaky.
Trey Mancini hit his 17th homer in the first inning, and Kikuchi walked a season-high four over the first two innings. After escaping a jam in the second by giving up only one run, Kikuchi retired eight of the next nine. He allowed another run in the sixth after a leadoff double by Renato Nunez, but his velocity was up and the overall results were better.
“It wasn’t my best performance, it wasn’t my 100 percent performance, but I was able to grind through and build a ballgame for my team so I was proud of that,” Kikuchi said through an interpreter. “The last five starts I wasn’t able to perform the best I could and (manager Scott Servais) has been very nice to me and given me a bunch of advice and my teammates around me have praised me a lot and helped me build my confidence.”
Kikuchi is trying to break out of a rough patch on the mound. The left-hander is just 2-4 with a 7.59 ERA in his last seven starts.
“It’s been a tough month. That’s the first thing I have to say,” Kikuchi said after the victory which gave the Mariners a 3-1 series win.
“I struggled early into the game, but I had an okay feeling in the bullpen so I pitched trusting that things would get better.”
Crawford had a career-high four hits and drove in four runs during the win. Crawford lifted his average to exactly .300 in his first season since being acquired from Philadelphia. The promising young shortstop hit his second home run of the season in the first inning, had a pair of singles and drove in two during the third inning and added a sacrifice fly in the seventh. Since May 22, Crawford has raised his batting average 56 points.
“My timing has been good and I’m not missing my pitches to hit. That’s the biggest thing,” Crawford said. “When you get in a little funk, you start fouling off pitches you should be hitting.”
Baltimore starter Gabriel Ynoa (0-5) gave up seven earned runs in 2⅓ innings. After snapping a 10-game losing streak a day earlier, the Orioles allowed 10 or more runs for the 15th time.
“There’s not a whole lot of options right now,” Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said of his pitching. “We have what we have. I think we’re kind of seeking what we have at the upper levels right now and that’ll change over the course of time but this is what we have right now.”
Dodgers 6, Rockies 3
In Los Angeles, hours after being called up from the minors, Will Smith connected for a pinch-hit, three-run homer with two outs in the ninth inning for the Dodgers.
It was the third straight day a rookie hit a walk-off homer for Los Angeles — all against the Rockies — the first time that has happened in major league history. Matt Beaty hit a two-run shot in the ninth inning on Friday and Alex Verdugo did it in the 11th on Saturday.
Kenta Maeda allowed two runs and seven hits while walking two and striking out six in seven innings. He didn’t factor in the decision.
Angels 6, Cardinals 4
In St. Louis, Albert Pujols had two hits and exchanged jerseys with former teammate Yadier Molina to conclude an emotional return to St. Louis as Los Angeles beat the Cardinals. Pujols was cheered throughout his first series in St. Louis since leaving the club in free agency after the 2011 season.
The former Cardinal got standing ovations before each plate appearance throughout the weekend and a curtain call after popping out in his final at-bat. After the game, he and Molina met at home plate, hugged and swapped uniforms.
Shohei Ohtani was 1-for-1 as a pinch-hitter for the Angels.
Astros 9, Yankees 4
In New York, Jose Altuve hit a leadoff homer, rookie Yordan Alvarez connected again and Houston ended its first seven-game skid in four years.
The Yankees had won eight straight but were stopped by Astros ace Justin Verlander (10-3) and a quartet of homers, including a grand slam from Tyler White.
In Other Games
Blue Jays 6, Red Sox 1
Indians 8, Tigers 3
Rangers 7, White Sox 4
Royals 6, Twins 1
Rays 8, Athletics 2
Braves 4, Nationals 3
Marlins 6, Phillies 4
Brewers 7, Reds 5
Cubs 5, Mets 3
Pirates 11, Padres 10
Diamondbacks 3, Giants 2 (10)
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Source : Baseball – The Japan Times