SEATTLE — Daniel Nava hit a two-out single in the top of the 10th inning to score pinch-runner Jackie Bradley Jr., and the Boston Red Sox rallied from a four-run deficit for the second time in a four-game series to beat the Seattle Mariners 8-7 in 10 innings on Thursday.
Ryan Lavarnway walked to open the 10th against Seattle’s Tom Wilhelmsen (0-3) and was replaced by Bradley. Brady Holt laid down a sacrifice bunt to get Bradley to second base with one out. Wilhelmsen struck out Iglesias on the eighth pitch of the at-bat then intentionally walked Jacoby Ellsbury.
Nava fell behind in the count, but was able to roll a 1-2 pitch back up the middle and past the dive of second baseman Brad Miller to give Boston the lead.
Koji Uehara pitched the 10th for his seventh save as the Red Sox took three of four in the series.
Boston also rallied from a 5-1 deficit to win the second game of the series 11-8.
Steven Wright (1-0) was the reason Boston was able to rally, shutting down the Mariners after replacing starter Ryan Dempster in the fourth inning. The knuckleball throwing right-hander allowed just three hits in 5 2/3 innings of relief. He struck out three, including Mike Zunino for the final out of the fourth inning with runners on second and third. Seattle got just one baserunner to second against Wright, and that was via an error.
It was just the second major league appearance for Wright.
Ellsbury hit the eighth leadoff homer of his career to extend his hitting streak to 19 games, the longest in the American League this season. Seattle also got a solo homer from Kyle Seager leading off the second inning to give the Mariners a homer in 19 straight games, matching the longest streak in franchise history set in September 1999. It’s the longest streak in the majors since Toronto also had 19 straight with a homer in 2010.
Seattle led 5-1 and then watched Boston rally against Mariners starter Erasmo Ramirez to pull even for the second time in the series. Boston scored three times in the fourth on two-out hits from Holt, Jose Iglesias and Ellsbury, then scored three more in the fifth. Boston loaded the bases with no outs on singles by Dustin Pedroia and Jonny Gomes sandwiched around a walk to Ortiz. Mike Carp’s sacrifice fly scored Pedroia before Holt and Iglesias came through again with two-out RBI singles.
Ramirez was expected to compete for a spot in Seattle’s rotation out of spring training, but ended up on the disabled list with soreness in his right elbow. His debut lasted just 4 2/3 innings.
Dempster allowed a season-high nine hits, although only four of the seven runs Seattle scored off him were earned because of Holt’s two-out error in the second that kept the inning alive. Miller followed the error with an RBI double before Endy Chavez’s two-run single.
Dempster was pulled after just 3 1/3 innings, his second-shortest start of the season.
MARINERS NOTES: Chavez left the game in the bottom of the fourth inning with tightness in the right side of his groin running out a bunt single. … Seattle outrighted RHP Jeremy Bonderman, who had been designated for assignment. Bonderman declined the assignment and instead chose to become a free agent. … 2B Nick Franklin aggravated an already sore right knee on Wednesday night and was out of the lineup. Seattle manager Eric Wedge hopes he’ll be able to play Friday.
