Mariners sweep weekend series against Rays

SEATTLE (AP) — Cal Raleigh hit his MLB-leading 43rd homer of the season, a go-ahead three-run shot in the eighth inning, giving the Seattle Mariners a 3-2 win over the Tampa Bay Rays on Friday night.

The Mariners won their fifth consecutive game and remained 1 1/2 games behind the AL West-leading Houston Astros.

Raleigh erased Seattle's two-run deficit with a 417-foot shot to right-center field off Griffin Jax (1-6) after singles by J.P. Crawford and Cole Young.

Raleigh homered for the first time since July 31 against Texas. He leads Philadelphia's Kyle Schwarber by two homers. Schwarber hit his 41st homer Friday.

Carlos Vargas (4-5) worked a scoreless eighth and Matt Brash earned his second save of the season, striking out all three batters in the ninth.

Rasmussen allowed four hits over six shutout innings, striking out four and walking none. Pitching in his home state, Rasmussen yielded one earned run across 20 1/3 innings in his career against Seattle.

Brandon Lowe hit a solo homer in the first and Junior Caminero hit his 31st homer of the season in the fifth to give Tampa Bay a 2-0 lead.

Luis Castillo surrendered two runs on five hits in seven innings. He struck out five and walked none.

The Mariners finally got their first runner in scoring position in the eighth after Young’s single that moved Crawford to second.

Rasmussen has allowed only two extra-base hits over his last five starts. Seattle didn’t have a runner in scoring position against the lefty.

Saturday:

Cal Raleigh launched his major league-leading 44th home run, Julio Rodríguez went deep twice and the surging Seattle Mariners defeated the Tampa Bay Rays 7-4 on Saturday night after retiring Ichiro Suzuki’s No. 51 jersey.

Seattle extended its win streak to six, the longest active run in the American League, and moved within a half-game of Houston atop the AL West.

After hitting the go-ahead homer in the eighth inning Friday night, Raleigh delivered another three-run shot Saturday to put Seattle up 5-1 in the third. Rodríguez connected on the next pitch from starter Joe Boyle (1-2), who lasted 3 1/3 innings.

Rodríguez also hit a two-run homer in the first, a 436-foot drive, and has 23 home runs this season.

Logan Evans (6-4) allowed three runs in 5 1/3 innings before four Mariners relievers finished a five-hitter. Andrés Muñoz worked a scoreless ninth for his 27th save.

Brandon Lowe homered for the second consecutive game in the first inning for Tampa Bay. Junior Caminero hit his 32nd homer in the sixth, a three-run shot off Caleb Ferguson.

Cole Young scored on a wild pitch in the Seattle sixth to make it 7-4.

Young’s walk and Randy Arozarena’s single set up Raleigh’s homer to give Seattle a four-run cushion.

J.P. Crawford’s 17-pitch at-bat against Rays reliever Mason Englert in the sixth tied for the longest by a Mariners player since pitch tracking began in 1988. After hitting 12 foul balls, Crawford popped out to shortstop — and still received a standing ovation.

Sunday:

Cal Raleigh hit his major league-leading 45th home run in a four-run first inning and the Seattle Mariners hung on for a 6-3 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays on Sunday.

It was Seattle's seventh straight win, the longest active run in the American League. Josh Naylor also homered for the Mariners, who wrapped up a 9-1 homestand.

Seattle starter Bryan Woo (10-6) allowed three runs on seven hits over six innings with nine strikeouts. It was his 23rd start this season of six innings or more.

Raleigh’s two-run home run came off Rays starter Adrian Houser before Eugenio Suarez added a two-run single for the Mariners in the first. Raleigh, who homered in all three games of the series, hit No. 44, a three-run shot, in the third inning of the Mariners' 7-4 victory over the Rays on Saturday.

The Rays chipped away at Seattle's lead. Ha-Seong Kim's double in the second scored Brandon Lowe to close the gap. Yandy Diaz added an RBI grounder in the third.

Kim hit a solo homer in the fourth to make it 4-3.

Naylor gave the Mariners some breathing room with a solo homer in the seventh. Dominic Canzone had an RBI single in the eighth for the final margin.

Hauser (6-4) allowed four runs on six hits over five innings with four strikeouts and three walks.

Julio Rodríguez got hit on the elbow by a 97-mph fastball from Adrian Houser in the fourth inning. When he took his elbow guard off to take first, he paused to kiss it.

Raleigh moved into a tie with Johnny Bench (1970) at second all-time for most homers by a catcher in a season. Salvador Perez had 48 in 2021.

The Mariners visit the Baltimore Orioles today. RHP George Kirby (7-5, 4.04) will start for Seattle against RHP Dean Kremer (8-8, 4.35).

    Seattle Mariners designated hitter Cal Raleigh hits a two-run home run against the Tampa Bay Rays during the first inning of a baseball game Sunday, Aug. 10, 2025, in Seattle.