Mariners stun White Sox on Martin's walk-off HR

July 20th, 2016

SEATTLE -- launched a walk-off home run with one out in the 11th inning on Wednesday as the Mariners beat the White Sox, 6-5, for their second walk-off win of the series and Major League-leading sixth of the year.
"We're trying to win without having to walk-off, but if you win a ballgame no matter what, that's a great thing," Martin said. "That's what we play for."
Martin also hit a two-run homer in the second and has a career-high 13 on the season. His game-winner came off .
"It is tough, especially when you're leading both of the ones you lose late," White Sox manager Robin Ventura said "Those are always tough to be able to bounce back. And our guys have bounced back. You just need to be able to add on."

gave up five runs on 10 hits over 6 2/3 innings in his first start since May 27 as he returned from a strained calf, but wound up with a no-decision as the Mariners rallied from a three-run deficit with home runs by and to tie the game at 5 in the eighth.

homered for the third straight game for the White Sox with a three-run shot off Hernandez in the first, but Hernandez wound up getting into the seventh while throwing 94 pitches to remain 4-4 and raise his ERA to 3.23.
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"The home run was our friend early," Ventura said. "And then it quickly became our enemy."

White Sox starter allowed four hits and three runs over six-plus innings, but Zunino hit a two-run blast off reliever after replacing Gonzalez with one on in the seventh to cut the lead to 5-4 and Lind -- who beat the White Sox with a three-run walk-off blast on Monday -- tied the game with an opposite-field shot in the eighth.

The White Sox have lost six of their last seven games in falling to 46-48, while Seattle nudged back above .500 at 48-47 by winning the series.
Jennings shoulders blame for walk-off loss
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Frazier goes yard: Frazier hit a three-run home run in the first inning to give the White Sox the early lead. His 28th home tied him with Baltimore's for the most in the Majors. The 428-footer, as projected by Statcast™, was Frazier's second multi-run homer in as many days.
Martin muscles up: Seattle got two runs back against Gonzalez with a home run by Martin in the second as he jumped on a first-pitch slider and drove it into the right-field seats following a leadoff walk by . Martin's first homer since June 23 increased his season total to 12, well beyond his previous career high of eight in 2013, before he added his 13th as the game-winner.

He likes coming back: Zunino, recalled from Triple-A Tacoma before the game, launched a two-run homer off Duke in the seventh to bring the Mariners within 5-4. Zunino homered twice in his first game on July 2 against the Orioles after being recalled previously, but then was sent back to Tacoma after playing just one more game. This time he's likely back for the remainder of the season and he celebrated his return with a first-pitch bolt off Duke that was projected at 398 feet by Statcast™.
"I hope there's not too many more of those," Zunino said with a laugh when asked about homering when he gets called back up from the Minors. "But it's just nice. I've been feeling good at the plate and I'm just trying to have good at-bats. I was able to get a pitch there I could handle and didn't try to do too much."

Eaton hoses Cruz: threw the would-be winning run out at home in the bottom of the 10th to extend the game. tried to score from first on a Seager double to right field that got caught in a corner of the fence in foul territory. Eaton threw a dart home just in time for to put down the tag for the third out of the inning.

QUOTABLE
"That was pretty awesome. I'm seeing guys step up, not the big guys, but every guy in here. They're just every day doing everything for us." -- Hernandez, after seeing Martin hit his second walk-off homer of the year, along with two by Lind and one by and
SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS
struck out the side in the eighth for Seattle and now has 42 strikeouts in 20 2/3 innings, the most strikeouts of any reliever in the Majors since he was called up on June 4.

UPON FURTHER REVIEW
The White Sox won a challenge on a force play at first in the eighth inning. Chicago turned a 4-6-3 double play, with second baseman making a diving stop up the middle, but then Seager was called safe at first. After a 66-second review, the call was reversed. That made Lind's home run the next at-bat just a solo shot to tie the game, rather than a two-run homer to take the lead.

WHAT'S NEXT
White Sox: The White Sox head home to face the Tigers in Chicago Thursday at 7:10 p.m. CT. will take the mound for the Sox. The right-hander has a 1.91 ERA in his past four starts.
Mariners: After an off-day on Thursday, (2-4, 4.56 ERA) opens an eight-game road trip with Friday's 4:07 p.m. PT start in Toronto. The Canadian lefty is 2-2 with a 5.54 ERA over his last six starts, but has kept his rotation spot even following the return of Hernandez.
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