Indians' four first-inning runs hold up in 4-3 win
CLEVELAND -- Jose Ramirez and Lonnie Chisenhall had two-run hits in the first inning and Danny Salazar pitched into the seventh inning as the Cleveland Indians beat the Seattle Mariners 4-3 on Saturday at Progressive Field in a game in which all the runs were scored in the first inning.
Salazar (2-2) pitched 6 1/3 innings, giving up three runs and three hits with six strikeouts and three walks. Cody Allen pitched the ninth for his sixth save of the season.
Seattle starter Yovani Gallardo (1-3) gave up four runs and six hits with seven strikeouts and three walks in six innings.
In the first inning, the two teams had a combined 15 plate appearances that resulted in seven runs, six hits, three walks, two doubles, two home runs and three strikeouts.
Seattle reached Salazar for three runs in the top of the first after Salazar retired the first two batters of the game. With two outs and nobody on, Robinson Cano doubled to left field. Nelson Cruz belted his sixth home run of the season, over the wall in center field, giving Seattle a 2-0 lead.
Kyle Seager, the next hitter, also homered, also over the center-field wall, pushing the Mariners' lead to 3-0. Salazar then struck out Danny Valencia to end the inning.
In the bottom of the first, Gallardo set the table for a four-run Cleveland rally. Gallardo walked the first two batters he faced, Carlos Santana and Francisco Lindor. Michael Brantley flied out for the first out.
But Edwin Encarnacion drew a walk, loading the bases. Ramirez followed with a double down the right-field line, scoring Santana and Lindor to cut the Seattle lead to 3-2. Encarnacion went to third on Ramirez's hit, and Gallardo struck out Jason Kipnis for the second out.
But Chisenhall stroked a single to center, scoring Encarnacion and Ramirez to give Cleveland a 4-3 lead.
There was no scoring in the last eight innings of the game.
After the first inning, Salazar pitched 5 1/3 scoreless and hitless innings before being removed from the game in the seventh. Gallardo pitched five scoreless innings after the first, giving up three hits. He was removed after the sixth.
NOTES: The Mariners placed RHP Evan Scribner on the disabled list with a strained flexor and recalled OF Boog Powell from Triple-A Tacoma. ... Seattle OF Nelson Cruz was back in the lineup after sitting out Friday's game with a tight left hamstring. ... Mariners 3B Kyle Seager is a career .342 hitter (53-155) vs. Cleveland with 17 doubles, five home runs and 14 RBIs. ... RHP Chase De Jong will start Sunday for Seattle. He will be the second Mariners pitcher in three days to make his first career appearance vs. the Indians. The other was LHP Ariel Miranda, who started Friday night. ... The Indians' .197 batting average with runners in scoring position was the third worst in the American League at the start of play Saturday, ahead of only Toronto (.186) and Kansas City (.159). ... RHP Josh Tomlin, who will start Sunday for Cleveland, has allowed two or fewer walks in 35 consecutive starts.