Seattle stings Price, stuns Sox in 5-run 8th
SEATTLE -- After being silenced by David Price for seven innings, the Mariners pulled off a stunning comeback in the bottom of the eighth en route to a 5-4 victory over the Red Sox on Tuesday night at Safeco Field.
Robinson Cano unloaded for a three-run homer to right, spoiling the Boston debut of lefty reliever Fernando Abad and giving the Mariners their first lead of the game. Seattle trailed, 4-0, and had tallied just three hits off Price when the five-run inning started.
"You've seen it for a long time. He's a pretty special player. that was pretty impressive," Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia said of Cano.
Mike Zunino created momentum with a solo homer to left. Price gave up four straight hits to start the inning before walking off the mound with a 4-2 lead. Matt Barnes came on in relief and struck out Seth Smith.
"You are facing, I would say, one of the best lefties in the game," Cano said of Price, "who was under control until that inning."
Red Sox manager John Farrell then went to Abad, who was acquired just one day earlier from the Twins. Cano belted the fifth pitch of the at-bat -- a curveball -- high and deep to right for a three-run shot that had a projected distance of 398 feet, according to Statcast™.
"Abad, who's had such good success against Cano, is working through the at-bat in good shape," said Farrell. "He gets him to chase a couple breaking balls. He missed with one over the middle of the plate, and that's the difference in this one, unfortunately."
For the Mariners, it was a sweet victory after squandering late-inning leads to lose their previous two games. It was a tough defeat for the third-place Red Sox, who are two games behind the Orioles in the American League East.
Lefty Wade LeBlanc turned in a quality start for Seattle, allowing six hits and three runs over six innings. Edwin Diaz, who replaced Steve Cishek as Seattle's closer, locked down the save by striking out the side in the ninth.
"Goal number one is to give up no runs, obviously," LeBlanc said. "Especially when your team's facing Price. But once, baseball being a game of failure, once you ultimately give up runs the goal is to keep it as close as you can. And with an offense like we have, it's three runs or less, you're always in the game."
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Hanley hits mammoth blast, has fall: Hanley Ramirez hit a towering solo shot to left-center with two outs in the fourth that cleared the scoreboard between the first and second deck, and got caught in some mesh netting. A fan spent several minutes trying to get the ball out, and a police officer also lent a hand, but to no avail. Per Statcast™, the blast was scalded at an exit velocity of 112-mph at a projected distance of 455 feet. It was Ramirez's second longest homer this season, trailing only the 468-foot rocket he hit on May 10.
Things didn't go quite as well for Ramirez after the game, when he lost his footing on the steps between the clubhouse and dugout and jammed his left wrist. He was sent for a precautionary exam, results of which weren't yet available. More >
Zunino breaks the seal: After being held to no runs and just three hits through seven innings by Price, Zunino put the Mariners on the board with a home run to lead off the eighth.The projected 389-foot solo blast had an exit velocity of 107 mph, according to Statcast™.
"That was really the turning point," Mariners manager Scott Servais said.
Papi's milestone double: David Ortiz's RBI double to left in the top of the first gave the Red Sox a 1-0 lead. With his 36th double of the season, Ortiz passed Sam Rice (1930) for most by any player 40 years or older. It was his 62nd extra-base hit, as he tied Dave Winfield (1992) for most in a season by a member of the 40-and-older club.
Stringing hits together: Seattle was able to get multiple runners on base for the first time in the eighth inning. After Zunino kicked the inning off with a solo home run, Leonys Martin, Luis Sardinas and Guillermo Heredia followed him with back-to-back-to-back singles. Heredia's line drive to right field drove Martin in for the rookie's first career hit and RBI. Cano capped the big frame with his 24th homer.
QUOTABLE
"It's the greatest game in the world. It's baseball. You can't explain it."-- Servais on the comeback victory
SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS
Red Sox pitchers have a 2.59 ERA over their last 11 road games, and the bullpen has allowed only three runs in 22 2/3 innings in those contests.
WHAT'S NEXT
Red Sox: Sinkerballer Rick Porcello, who is coming off a complete-game win over the Angels, gets the ball in the third of this four-game series against the Mariners at Safeco Field. Porcello is going after his 15th win, which would tie his career-high. First pitch is at 10:10 p.m. ET.
Mariners: Hisashi Iwakuma will take the mound for Seattle. The right-hander got the only win of the Mariners' three-game series with the Red Sox earlier this season, allowing four runs on nine hits in seven innings en route to an 8-4 victory. First pitch is at 7:10 p.m. PT.
Watch every out-of-market regular-season game live on MLB.TV.
Ian Browne has covered the Red Sox for MLB.com since 2002. Follow him on Twitter @IanMBrowne and Facebook.
Maddie Lee is a reporter for MLB.com based in Seattle.
This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
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