Mariners mash 3, hold off Crew in nail-biter

SEATTLE -- A game that began as a pitchers' duel turned into a slugfest as the Mariners and Brewers combined for six home runs Friday night before Seattle escaped with a 7-6 win at Safeco Field.
"A win is a win," said Mariners manager Scott Servais. "They're hard to get in the big leagues."
Both lefty starters, Wade LeBlanc for the Mariners and Brent Suter for the Brewers, threw a hitless first three innings before the hard-hitting offenses awoke and would go on to combine for 22 hits. 
The Mariners' Kyle Seager and the Brewers' Chris Carter traded solo shots in the bottom of the fourth and the top of the fifth, respectively. Robinson Canó knocked a two-run dinger off Suter before he was chased in the fifth. Jonathan Villar and Keon Broxton slugged back-to-back homers off LeBlanc to start the sixth, and the Mariners pulled LeBlanc one batter later.
LeBlanc couldn't explain what changed after the first few innings.
"Just need to sit down, watch some video and see what's going on," he said. "The homers are getting a little ridiculous. But as long as we're getting some W's, I can't complain too much."

Suter, his contract selected from Triple-A Colorado Springs for Friday's start, struggled with control to start his Major League debut. He walked three in the first two innings, faced the minimum in the third, and then the Mariners started to hit him. Suter allowed four runs and scattered seven hits in 4 1/3 innings.
"Those are obviously some really good hitters," Suter said. "I made some mistakes to them and they made me pay. I feel really bad about those pitches, but I gave it my all."
Mariners closer Edwin Díaz struggled with his control in the ninth, giving up a two-run single from Ryan Braun after walking the bases loaded. Diaz then fanned Hernán Pérez to strike out the side and secure his ninth save in as many opportunities.
"We battled offensively pretty good tonight against a good young pitcher at the end there," Brewers manager Craig Counsell said. "We did a good job fighting back. We put a good inning on them in the ninth, got the winning run … on base, but just fell short."
Diaz said he didn't have the same feel for his fastball, which at times surpasses 100 mph.
"I think it's just mechanical," he said. "I dropped my arm a little bit. I need to get on top of the ball again. When I fix that, everything will work really well."

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Seager starts it: Seager got the Mariners' first hit of the night, a towering solo home run in the fourth inning. It broke the seal for the Mariners, and the contact kept coming. Seattle went on to notch 11 hits and scored in every subsequent inning. More >

Carter goes way deep: The first hit off LeBlanc was a monumental one. Carter teed off with one out in the fourth inning and reached an area of Safeco Field rarely visited by baseballs -- the top of the batter's eye well beyond the center-field wall. The game-tying solo blast, Carter's 28th of the season, left the bat with an exit velocity of 109.9 mph and traveled a projected 465 feet, according to Statcast™. It was Carter's longest homer of the year, the 14th longest tracked by Statcast™ this season, and the longest homer at Safeco in 2016.

A big 5th: The Mariners strung five hits together in the fifth inning to score three runs and take a 4-1 lead. Shawn O'Malley led off with a single, and Cano drove him in with a two-run home run to right, his 28th homer of the season. Nelson Cruz, Seager and Stefen Romero singled consecutively to score another run. It was clear the Mariners had figured out Suter, who was replaced by reliever Jhan Mariñez after Romero's RBI.

Back-to-back Brewers: Milwaukee crept to within 4-3 in the sixth inning and helped chase LeBlanc with two more homers, one after the other. Villar led off the inning with a bolt over the scoreboard in left field, his 10th of the year, and Broxton followed with a screaming line drive that barely cleared the wall in left. It was Broxton's fourth of 2016.
SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS
Suter was the first lefty to start a game for Milwaukee in almost 3 years, since Tom Gorzelanny on Aug. 28, 2013.

UPON FURTHER REVIEW
The Mariners won a challenge in the eighth inning when Carter was called safe stealing second. After a 1-minute, 12-second review, the call was reversed for the second out of the inning. 

WHAT'S NEXT
Brewers:Wily Peralta (5-8, 6.00 ERA) gets the ball for the Brewers in the 8:10 p.m. CT start on Saturday night. Peralta was terrific in his last start, going six innings against the Reds and earning a win after giving up one run on four hits.
Mariners:Félix Hernández (7-4, 3.34 ERA) will take the mound for the Mariners Saturday. The Mariners have won five of the past six games he has started since coming off the 15-day disabled list (right calf strain) on July 20. First pitch is scheduled for 6:10 p.m. PT.
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