Iannetta propels streaking Mariners
SEATTLE 6 TAMPA 5
SEATTLE — With a full count in the bottom of the 11th inning, Seattle’s Chris Iannetta was looking for a pitch to hit.
He got it and gave the surging Mariners a series sweep.
Iannetta jumped on a 3-2 pitch from Steve Geltz for a leadoff homer to give the Mariners a 6-5 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays on Wednesday and a sweep of the three-game series.
Iannetta’s third homer of the season salvaged the victory for Seattle, which was unable to hold an early 4-0 lead.
“If he threw a slider up in the zone, I was hoping I could make contact with that, or a fastball down ... luckily get to two strikes and get something out over the plate,” he said.
It was the second game-deciding home run allowed by Geltz in the series, who gave up a threerun homer on his first pitch in the sixth inning of Seattle’s 5-2 victory on Monday.
“Just a little unfortunate,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said. “Geltz’s M.O. is he’s going to throw a lot of fastballs, and if a guy catches up to it, they can sometimes go a long ways.”
The Mariners, 7-1-1 in their past nine series, escaped a oneout, bases-loaded jam in the 10th.
Steven Souza Jr. reached on a one-out walk off Vidal Nuno, advanced on a passed ball and moved to third on Logan Morrison’s bloop single to left.
Steve Johnson (1-0) relieved and walked Steve Pearce to load the bases. Kevin Kiermaier fouled out to third and Hank Conger bounced into a force at second.
“I kind of put myself in a tough spot, first time with the bases loaded,” said Johnson, who recorded his first major league victory since May 29, 2013. “I didn’t have my best command, but I was able to get a curveball in there for a strike.”
The Rays tied it 5-5 on Kiermaier’s one-out solo homer in the ninth. With Mariners closer Steve Cishek unavailable after a four-out save Tuesday night, Nick Vincent came on in the ninth to protect a 5-4 lead.
Giants 5, Blue Jays 4
SAN FRANCISCO — Buster Posey might have just been a little weary after catching his second 13-inning game in five days. After struggling the past few games, he took the walk.
“It’s a win,” he said. “You get to the point about 41⁄ hours in, 2 does it really matter?”
His walk on four straight balls with the bases loaded in the 13th inning let the San Francisco Giants salvage one win in their three-game series with the Toronto Blue Jays, 5-4 on Wednesday.
Matt Duffy lined out to first base before Posey took the walk from Ryan Tepera (0-1). Albert Suarez (1-0) pitched an inning for his first major-league victory.
Michael Saunders, who entered the game as a pinch hitter in the seventh, led off the ninth with a home run to straightaway centre against closer Santiago Casilla, who blew his third save.