SEATTLE — Kyle Seager and Dae-Ho Lee hit two-run homers to give the Seattle Mariners a comeback 5-2 victory over the Baltimore Orioles on Friday night.
Mariners starter Wade LeBlanc (1-0) picked up his first victory since Sept. 23, 2014, when he was with the Los Angeles Angels. LeBlanc, acquired in a trade with Toronto on June 22, played last season in Japan and was in the Blue Jays minor leagues before the trade.
LeBlanc worked six innings, giving up three hits and two runs, walking one and striking out five.
Steve Cishek worked the ninth for his 20th save in 24 opportunities.
Kevin Gausman (1-6) went six innings and allowed three runs and eight hits with no walks and seven strikeouts.
The teams traded early home runs. Seattle’s Seth Smith hit one in the first inning — his eighth — and Baltimore’s Chris Davis went deep in the second — his 20th. It was Davis’ 181st as an Oriole, one behind Ken Singleton for eighth place on the club’s all-time list.
The Orioles took a 2-1 lead in the third on Jonathan Schoop’s two-out single, scoring Joey Richard from second.
Nelson Cruz started the sixth with a double off the wall in right-center field. He has played 50 games against his former team and has reached base safely in 47, including 45 with at least one hit.
Seager, protecting an 0-2 count, caught a high 96-mph fastball from Gausman and ripped it 15 seats into the bleachers in right. It was his 16th.
In the eighth, with Cruz on first, Lee hit his 11th home run, to left field off Chaz Roe.
GOING DEEP RESEARCH
In one of the more quirky and esoteric baseball stats, deep research by the Elias Sports Bureau has shown that Baltimore’s Hyun-Soo Kim’s home run Thursday meant more than just the record 56, most in major league history for June. It was the 23rd straight year the Orioles have hit at least one home run on June 30. That’s the longest home run streak by any team on any date in history.
LONG STREAK
LeBlanc came into his start against the Orioles having not given up a run in nearly a season and a half. That’s because he last pitched in the big leagues on Sept. 28, 2014, with the Angels. He played for the Seibu Lions in the Japan League last season then signed with the Blue Jays during the off-season and pitched in the minors until Seattle acquired him in a trade June 22. In his first start last Friday, he held St. Louis scoreless for six innings. He carried that over for one more inning Friday before Davis’ second-inning home run ended his scoreless streak at 24 2-3 innings.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Orioles: Manager Buck Showalter said that RHP Darren O’Day (right hamstring strain), who has been on the DL since June 3, “felt pretty good today. That’s a good sign. He’s not going backwards, just not going forward.”
Mariners: RHP Felix Hernandez (strained calf) threw a 23-pitch bullpen session three hours before Friday’s game and was watched by more than a few club personnel. He appeared uninhibited. The plan is for him to throw a simulated game during the series in Houston followed by two rehab starts in the minors then will start after the All-Star break. “He’s pretty important,” manager Scott Servais said. “We need to get him going in the second half.”
UP NEXT
Orioles: RHP Tyler Wilson (4-5, 4.50) has won his last two decisions, although in his previous start he allowed 10 hits and five runs in five innings of a 12-5 victory over Tampa Bay. In two career appearances against Seattle, Wilson is 0-1 with a 6.43 ERA.
Mariners: LHP James Paxton (1-3, 4.15) is one of the pitchers Servais is counting on in the second half despite just one win this season. He has had one career start against Baltimore, a 4 1/3-inning no-decision.
