George Kirby’s gem helps Mariners gain ground in playoff race

George Kirby let it loose on a warm night, and the Philadelphia Phillies didn’t have an answer.

The fifth-year Seattle Mariners starting pitcher reached up to 99 mph with his fastball and held the dangerous Phillies lineup to one run on six hits over 7 2/3 innings to lead the M’s in a 4-1 win. He registered nine strikeouts, one short of his season high.

Seattle Mariners 4, Philadelphia Phillies 1: Recap | Box score | Standings

The victory clinched a second straight series win for the Mariners, and Seattle gained a game on the Texas Rangers, who entered the day in the AL West lead. Texas (66-67) lost 11-7 to the Chicago White Sox, allowing the Houston Astros (66-66) to jump back into a half-game lead in the division over the Rangers thanks to a 9-7 win over the New York Yankees.

The win brought the Mariners (64-69) within 2 1/2 games in both the AL West and wild card chase in the American League.

More: Cal Raleigh homers again in Mariners’ 4-1 win over Phillies

Kirby bounced back from a pair of rough starts on the Mariners’ last road trip, coming just an out short of his season high of eight innings, which he has done twice this year. He improved to 9-10 on the year and lowered his ERA to 4.02.

José Ferrer recorded the last out of the eighth inning, and Andrés Muñoz worked around a pair of walks in the ninth inning to earn his 24th save.

The Mariners are now 4-1 on their current homestand after taking two of three over the Chicago Cubs over the weekend.

Seattle will send Bryan Woo to the mound in the 1:10 p.m. series finale Wednesday as the M’s go for a sweep against the Phillies. Mariners Radio Network coverage on Seattle Sports will start at noon with the pregame show.

The M’s will have Thursday off, then start a six-game road trip on Friday that goes through Toronto and Boston. The Red Sox are the last team remaining on Seattle’s regular season schedule that currently has a winning record.

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