SEATTLE (AP) — Tyler Wells pitched five nearly perfect innings, Adley Rutschman drove one of Baltimore’s five home runs and the Orioles three-hit the Seattle Mariners in a 9-2 victory Monday night.
Wells (6-4) was perfect until allowing Cal Raleigh’s homer with two outs in the fifth inning. He retired the next batter before handing off to the bullpen, finishing with three strikeouts on 63 pitches.
Joey Krehbiel and Keegan Akin combined to close out Baltimore’s gem. Akin got his first save with 3 1/3 scoreless innings.
Mariners starter George Kirby (2-3) allowed seven runs on nine hits, including four homers, over four innings.
Rutschman, a touted rookie who is from Oregon and played at Oregon State, had an RBI single in the first inning that skipped off second baseman Adam Frazier’s glove. Baltimore added another run in the second on an RBI double from center fielder Cedric Mullins.
Rutschman and Ryan Mountcastle hit back-to-back homers in the third inning for a 4-0 lead, and Anthony Santander and Austin Hays clubbed consecutive drives in the fourth for a 7-0 advantage. Jorge Mateo added a solo shot in the sixth.
Mountcastle’s shot ended Seattle’s franchise-record run of 24 consecutive games without a starter giving up at least four runs.
The Mariners scored their second run in the sixth on a double off the left-field wall from Eugenio Suarez.
DAY AFTER
Three Mariners players were suspended Monday for their roles in a brawl with the Los Angeles Angels on Sunday: outfielder Jesse Winker got seven games, shortstop J.P. Crawford got five and outfielder Julio Rodríguez got two.
All three players appealed and were in the Mariners lineup on Monday night.
BALTIMORE’S RETURN
Monday’s game was the Orioles’ first time at T-Mobile Park since May 5, 2021, when LHP John Means…