Raleigh homers for 3rd straight game to give Mariners 3-1 win, sweep of Rangers

SEATTLE (AP) Cal Raleigh homered for a third straight game to spark the Seattle Mariners to a 3-1 win and a sweep of the Texas Rangers on Sunday.

Raleigh sent a two-run shot out to right field off Texas starter Nathan Eovaldi in the first inning.

The win brings Seattle to .500 on the season (8-8). The Mariners never trailed in their fourth straight victory.

Logan Gilbert (1-1) allowed just one run – a second-inning homer by Dustin Harris – in five innings. He surrendered three hits and a walk, striking out seven. It was the second homer for Harris in 10 major league at-bats.

Eovaldi (1-2) didn’t make it out of the sixth. Julio Rodríguez led off with a single and Jorge Polanco reached on an error by first baseman Jake Burger. Eovaldi exited after hitting Raleigh and Randy Arozarena to force in a run.

Seattle’s Gabe Speier, Carlos Vargas and Trent Thornton all pitched a scoreless inning without allowing a baserunner. Andrés Muñoz notched his sixth save with a scoreless ninth. Muñoz has not allowed a run in his first eight innings, striking out 12.

Gilbert struggled in the first inning, allowing a one-out hit to Corey Seager before a wild pitch sent him to second base. He walked Adolis García to put runners at the corners with two outs before striking out Josh Jung swinging to end the threat.

Raleigh showed off his power in the sweep. He hit a go-ahead, two-run homer in the eighth to rally the Mariners to a 5-3 win in Friday’s opener.

The Mariners have yet to name a starter for Tuesday’s opener of a three-game series in Cincinnati. Brady Singer (3-0, 3.18 ERA) gets the nod for the Reds. The Rangers have yet to name a starter for Tuesday’s opener of a three-game series against the visiting Los Angeles Angels, who will send Yusei Kikuchi (0-2, 5.00) to the mound.

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