SEATTLE — Mariners manager Scott Servais let young closer Edwin Diaz rest Sunday, and it was an easy call — Seattle led by three runs, and the Milwaukee Brewers entered 0-59 when trailing after eight innings.
Then things got away from Tom Wilhelmsen.
Keon Broxton and Chris Carter homered and Scooter Gennett had an RBI single during a four-run ninth inning, lifting the Brewers over the Mariners 7-6 on Sunday to end a six-game skid.
“I thought we were in a good spot,” said Servais, who sat Diaz after the closer threw 34 pitches Friday. “Tom Wilhelmsen has given us everything he’s got this year, it just wasn’t his day. You’ve got to give them credit, they didn’t quit.”
The Brewers never even got a lead during the first six games of this road trip and trailed 6-3 after eight innings Sunday but rallied against Wilhelmsen (2-4). Broxton hit his second solo homer of the game and Carter followed with a two-run shot, his 29th, to tie it.
It appeared right fielder Shawn O’Malley may have made a leaping grab of Carter’s drive at the wall in right-center.
“I didn’t know if he had the ball or not,” Carter said. “He jumped and I was kind of running and didn’t know if he had it. I was caught in between.”
After Domingo Santana singled, Vidal Nuno relieved Wilhelmsen and allowed a single to Manny Pina. Gennett then blooped a single into left-center that scored Santana from second.
Tyler Thornburg (5-4) pitched the final two innings for the win.
“Every day is a new day and this is a good win,” Counsell said. “When you’re struggling, and wins seem really tough and you find a way to win a game through some heroics and great performances, you celebrate it for sure.”
The Brewers, whose 20-41 road record is worst in the majors, trailed 6-1 after four innings. Ryan Braun had a two-run double in the sixth off rookie Ariel Miranda, making his third career start since being acquired from Baltimore for Wade Miley on July 31.
The Mariners, who had won eight straight at home, scored three in the third and three in the fourth off Matt Garza (4-6), who was tagged for six runs, five earned, and nine hits in 3 2/3 innings.
In the third, Leonys Martin opened with a ground-rule double and Ketel Marte lined an RBI single that just eluded diving shortstop Orlando Arcia. Marte advanced when Garza failed to handle Norichika Aoki’s chopper to the mound for an error.
Seth Smith followed with an RBI single to right to make it 2-0, and Robinson Cano added an RBI groundout.
Broxton cut the lead to 3-1 with his fifth home run, a one-out shot in the fourth for the Brewers first hit.
Seattle manufactured three more station-to-station runs in the bottom half on a bases-loaded single by Smith, another RBI groundout by Cano and a run-scoring infield single by Nelson Cruz.
TRAINING ROOM
After a solid rehab start on Saturday at Triple-A Tacoma, LHP James Paxton (left elbow contusion) is expected to rejoin the Mariners rotation and likely to start Thursday at the Chicago White Sox. … RHP Taijuan Walker, sent to Triple-A Tacoma on Aug. 8 after going 4-7 with a 4.10 ERA in 17 starts for Seattle, could start for Seattle on Tuesday.
UP NEXT
Mariners RHP Cody Martin (1-2, 3.14 ERA) will make his second spot start against the Yankees on Monday.
