SEATTLE — Nelson Cruz hit his 28th homer in the eighth inning after Felix Hernandez and Justin Verlander dueled through the first seven, and the Seattle Mariners beat the Detroit Tigers 3-1 on Wednesday night to complete a three-game sweep.
Cruz hit a 1-1 pitch from Justin Wilson (2-4) over the batter’s eye 421 feet away to help the Mariners get their season-high sixth straight victory.
Hernandez and Verlander each pitched seven innings of one-run ball in a battle of former Cy Young Award winners. Hernandez struck out eight and allowed three hits and four walks, while Verlander allowed seven hits and two walks and struck out six.
Leonys Martin added an insurance run on an RBI single later in the eighth.
Arquimedes Caminero (1-0) pitched the eighth and earned the victory. Nick Vincent finished it for his second save.
After Robinson Cano’s first-inning homer, Detroit tied it in the fourth with the help of a review reversal. Ian Kinsler opened with a walk, then stole second, but only after a 3-minute, 8-second review reversed a caught-stealing call.
