Wells, Rutschman help Orioles dominate Mariners 9-2

SEATTLE (AP) — Tyler Wells pitched five nearly perfect innings, Adley Rutschman drove one of Baltimore’s five home runs and the Orioles three-hit the Seattle Mariners in a 9-2 victory Monday night.

Orioles 9, Mariners 2: Box score

Wells (6-4) was perfect until allowing Cal Raleigh’s homer with two outs in the fifth inning. He retired the next batter before handing off to the bullpen, finishing with three strikeouts on 63 pitches.

Joey Krehbiel and Keegan Akin combined to close out Baltimore’s gem. Akin got his first save with 3 1/3 scoreless innings.

Mariners starter George Kirby (2-3) allowed seven runs on nine hits, including four homers, over four innings.

Rutschman, a touted rookie who is from Oregon and played at Oregon State, had an RBI single in the first inning that skipped off second baseman Adam Frazier’s glove. Baltimore added another run in the second on an RBI double from center fielder Cedric Mullins.

Rutschman and Ryan Mountcastle hit back-to-back homers in the third inning for a 4-0 lead, and Anthony Santander and Austin Hays clubbed consecutive drives in the fourth for a 7-0 advantage. Jorge Mateo added a solo shot in the sixth.

Back-to-back HRs are twice as nice 😎 pic.twitter.com/U6lQQuSK0X

— ESPN (@espn) June 28, 2022

Mountcastle’s shot ended Seattle’s franchise-record run of 24 consecutive games without a starter giving up at least four runs.

The Mariners scored their second run in the sixth on a double off the left-field wall from Eugenio Suarez.

DAY AFTER

Three Mariners players were suspended Monday for their roles in a brawl with the Los Angeles Angels on Sunday: outfielder Jesse Winker got seven games, shortstop J.P. Crawford got five and outfielder Julio Rodríguez got two.

All three players appealed and were in the Mariners lineup on Monday night.

BALTIMORE’S RETURN

Monday’s game was the Orioles’ first time at T-Mobile Park since May 5, 2021, when LHP John Means threw the 10th no-hitter in Orioles’ history. The only baserunner separating Means from a perfect game was infielder Sam Haggert, who reached on a dropped third strike.

“Incredible day,” Hyde said. “We were talking on the way here, the last time we were here was a pretty cool moment. That’s up there, and no-hitters don’t come around all the time.”

ROSTER MOVES

The Mariners acquired INF Carlos Santana and cash from the Kansas City Royals in exchange for minor league pitcher William Fleming and RHP Wyatt Mills. Santana is hitting .216 this season with four homers and 21 RBI.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Mariners: OF Kyle Lewis was on the field before the game and is getting close to going on a minor league rehab assignment. … INF Ty France is hitting in the batting cage as he works his way back from an elbow strain, and manager Scott Servais is hopeful he can return at the end of his 10-day IL stint.

Orioles: INF Ramon Urias took batting practice Monday and is progressing from a left oblique strain that landed him on the 10-Day IL on June 11.

UP NEXT

Seattle: The Mariners will start LHP Robbie Ray (6-6, 4.07 ERA) on Tuesday. Ray has been dominant in his past three starts, allowing 10 total hits and two earned runs while striking out 20.

Baltimore: RHP Dean Kremer (2-1, 1.71 ERA) will make his fifth start of the season Tuesday against Seattle. Kremer pitched 5 2/3 scoreless innings while allowing seven hits against the Chicago White Sox in his most recent start on June 23.

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