SEATTLE (AP) — Seattle starter George Kirby set a career high with 10 strikeouts, and the Mariners offense broke out for the second straight game in a 9-3 victory over the Miami Marlins on Tuesday night.
Kirby (6-5) was untouchable early on, retiring the first 13 hitters of the game. He wound up allowing three hits and one unearned run over six innings with no walks.
Yuli Gurriel hit a single in the top of the fifth inning for Miami’s first hit, but Kirby recovered by striking out Jean Segura and Jon Berti to escape the inning without damage.
The Mariners took the lead in the second when Cal Raleigh hit a three-run homer to right field off Marlins starter Edward Cabrera (5-5), and added to it on Mike Ford’s two-run homer in the fourth. Ford also hit a solo homer in the eighth for the second multi-homer game of his career. The other also came at T-Mobile Park on Aug. 26, 2019, when Ford was a New York Yankee.
Ford, brought back to the majors on June 2, has three home runs in his last four games.
José Caballero drove in three more runs for Seattle with a bases-loaded triple in the sixth.
Jorge Soler’s sixth-inning RBI single scored Miami’s first run, and Garrett Cooper hit a two-run homer off Chris Flexen in the eighth.
MLB leading hitter Luis Arraez went 0-for-5 to drop his batting average to .384. Arraez is now 0-for-9 in the series, after coming in with a .397 average on the season.
Trainer’s room
Marlins shortstop Joey Wendle was out of the starting lineup for the second consecutive game with what manager Skip Schumaker said was an adductor injury near his left groin.
Roster moves
Miami recalled RHP Archie Bradley from Triple-A Jacksonville, and optioned RHP Huascar Brazoban. To make room on the 40-man roster, LHP Trevor Rogers (bicep) was transferred to the 60-day injured list.
Up next
Rookie right-hander Eury Pérez (3-1, 2.17 ERA) will pitch on Wednesday for Miami in the series finale. Pérez has allowed just one earned run over his past three outings. RHP Luis Castillo (4-4, 2.70 ERA) will get the start for Seattle. Castillo lost his last two starts, but allowed a total of only four earned runs.