SEATTLE (AP) — Leo Rivas led off the bottom of the 13th inning with a two-run homer and the Seattle Mariners outlasted the St. Louis Cardinals 4-2 on Wednesday night for their fifth consecutive victory.
Seattle completed a three-game sweep and remained one game behind Houston atop the AL West. The Mariners lead Texas by 1 1/2 games for the final American League wild card.
Thomas Saggese had four hits for the Cardinals, including an RBI single that gave them a 2-1 advantage in the 11th, but Jorge Polanco tied it with a run-scoring double leading off the bottom half.
Rivas entered as a pinch runner for Polanco and advanced to third base before getting thrown out at the plate on a grounder as Seattle squandered an excellent chance to win.
But in the 13th, Rivas turned on a first-pitch slider from right-hander Ryan Fernandez (0-3) and sent it over the right-field fence for his second major league home run.
Automatic runner Josh Naylor also scored on Rivas’ second career walk-off hit.
Emerson Hancock (4-5) tossed two perfect innings for the win.
Iván Herrera homered in the first off Mariners starter Logan Gilbert, who struck out eight in 4 2/3 innings.
Seattle tied it 1-all in the second when Naylor scored the first of his three runs on Dominic Canzone’s sacrifice fly.
Key moment
The Cardinals very well could have taken the lead in the 10th, but some shoddy baserunning by Herrera cost them. The automatic runner placed at second base, Herrera failed to advance to third on a deep flyout to right field — then was doubled off second on a routine fly to center, ending the inning.
Key stat
St. Louis starter Michael McGreevy allowed one run and five hits in six innings.
Up next
Following a day off, Cardinals RHP Andre Pallante (6-13, 5.28 ERA) starts Friday night in Milwaukee against RHP Quinn Priester (12-2, 3.25).
Mariners RHP Bryce Miller (4-5, 5.53 ERA) faces Angels RHP José Soriano (10-10, 4.07) in the opener of a four-game series Thursday night.