BALTIMORE (AP) — J.P. Crawford hit a go-ahead double with two outs in the sixth inning, Marco Gonzales overcame a rough start for his first victory of the season and the Seattle Mariners beat the Baltimore Orioles 4-2 on Thursday in a doubleheader opener.
The score was fitting in the first game to end on Jackie Robinson Day — matching Robinson’s uniform No. 42, retired throughout the major leagues. All players wore No. 42 on the 74th anniversary of Robinson breaking the major league color barrier with the Brooklyn Dodgers.
Seattle tied the score on Mitch Haniger’s two-run homer in the fifth off Matt Harvey.
The Mariners went ahead when Tanner Scott (0-2) walked José Marmolejos leading off the sixth, pinch-runner Braden Bishop advanced on Dylan Moore’s two-out single and Crawford stayed back on a slider and hooked the ball down the right-field line.
Crawford has hit safely in five consecutive games, batting .412 (7 of 17) in that span while raising his average from .160 to .262.
“I’m just getting going,” Crawford said. “Not everyone can just come right out of the gates hitting .300 or .400 and dropping bombs. Everybody has different times they break out. Hopefully, I just try to stay the course and keep putting together good ABs.”
Kendall Graveman pitched a perfect seventh for his second save in as many attempts, finishing a four-hitter in a game shortened by pandemic rules.
Baltimore has lost seven of nine following an opening three-game sweep of Boston, dropping five of its last six.
Seattle has won four of its last five.
The teams played their second doubleheader in three days to make up of Wednesday’s rainout, which followed a split Tuesday that made up Monday’s postponement.
Left-hander Bruce Zimmermann (1-0) was to start the second game…
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