Crawford, Raley homer to spark Mariners’ comeback vs Braves

Just when it started to look as if the Seattle Mariners were heading towards their fourth straight loss, Luke Raley and J.P. Crawford turned the game on its head with two big swings in the bottom of the sixth inning.

Raley blasted a three-run homer and Crawford followed soon after with a go-ahead two-run shot to erase a 4-0 deficit and key the Mariners to a 5-4 win in the series opener against the Atlanta Braves.

Recap: Mariners halt skid with 5-4 win over Braves

After walks to Randy Arozarena and Dominic Canzone, Raley took advantage of a hanging curveball, sending a 388-foot blast into the seats in right field for his sixth home run of the season and first since April 18.

Raley’s homer chased Bainbridge Island native J.R. Ritchie, who was making his third career MLB start.

Mitch Garver worked a one-out walk off new pitcher Tyler Kinley to set up Crawford. The Mariners’ veteran shortstop worked a 3-2 count before lifting a slider high into the air and over the fence in right field for a 357-foot homer, his third of the season.

The five-run outburst helped Logan Gilbert pick up his second his second win of the year. The right-hander allowed four runs – all on solo homers – and struck out four over six innings.

The Mariners improved to 17-19.

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