SEATTLE — A rough day for the Seattle Mariners that began with a clubhouse brawl ended with Baltimore rookie Renato Nunez and the Orioles rallying for a 5-3 win Tuesday night.
Mariners shortstop Jean Segura, catcher Mike Zunino and several other players were involved in the skirmish four hours before the game at Safeco Field. Moments after second baseman Dee Gordon politely asked reporters to leave the locker room, the double doors burst open with players shoving and shouting.
“With how our season has gone, the frustration mounts,” Mariners manager Scott Servais said soon after the incident. “Along the way, there are bumps in the road.”
The Orioles had 15 hits and scored all five runs in the final three innings. Nunez had three hits, including a home run to start a four-run seventh.
Mariners starter Wade LeBlanc pitched six shutout innings, but the Orioles got five hits off three relievers in the seventh to take a 4-1 lead.
Alex Cobb (5-15) gave up a homer to Robinson Cano in the first before shutting out the Mariners for the next five innings before leaving the game. Mychal Givens earned his sixth save.
Seattle rallied for two runs in the eighth after loading the bases on two hits and a walk, but Chris Hermann struck out to end the inning with runners at first and second.
LeBlanc had thrown only 68 pitches when Servais elected to go to the bullpen in the seventh inning with a 1-0 lead.
After Nunez’s homer off Adam Warren (2-2), Jonathan Villar had a RBI single off Zach Duke, Breyvic Valera scored on a grounder and Trey Mancini had an RBI double to right off Nick Vincent.
Seattle was 46-25 on June 16 and 11 1/2 games ahead of Oakland in the wild-card standings. The Mariners are now 77-62 and 5 1/2 games behind the A’s in the chase for the second AL wild-card spot.
ROSTER MOVES
Orioles: Selected the contract of RHP Luis Ortiz from Triple-A Norfolk. Ortiz was acquired in the at July’s non-waiver trade deadline from the Brewers in the Jonathan Schoop trade.
Mariners: Recalled INF Gordon Beckham, RHP Casey Lawrence and 1B Daniel Vogelbach from Triple-A Tacoma. All three have spent time in the big leagues this season.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Orioles: 1B Chris Davis was back in the starting lineup after missing Monday’s game be because of an illness.
Mariners: LHP Marco Gonzales (strained neck) will have one more bullpen session Thursday before he’s ready to return to the starting rotation.
UP NEXT
RHP Andrew Cashner (4-13, 4.86 ERA) will make his 27th start of the season Wednesday for the Orioles. Cashner lost his previous three starts, allowing 12 earned runs, 25 hits and eight walks in 16 innings. RHP Mike Leake (8-9, 4.25) will make his 28th start of the season for the Mariners. Leake lost his previous two starts (allowing 11 earned runs in 10 1/3 innings) and hasn’t won a game since July 31. He has given up 182 hits this season, the most in the majors.
