SEATTLE — Randy Arozarena hit a go-ahead, three-run home run in the third inning as part of a four-RBI night as the Seattle Mariners beat the St. Louis Cardinals 5-3 on Tuesday to maintain a 1 1/2-game lead for the final AL wild card.
Arozarena hit his 27th homer, four more than his previous career high. He turned on a fastball down the middle from Matthew Liberatore (7-12), a no-doubt drive that prompted Arozarena to stunt a pose in the direction of the Mariners’ dugout.
Then in the fifth inning, Arozarena added to Seattle’s lead with a sacrifice fly in an inning that included Josh Naylor’s 19th homer, a solo drive.
Seattle kept pace with Texas, which won 5-4 at Milwaukee to remain 1 1/2 games back of Seattle.
George Kirby allowed three runs and seven hits over four sluggish innings. Five pitchers combined with two-hit relief, with Caleb Ferguson (4-4) striking out two in a perfect fifth and Andrés Muñoz working around José Fermín’s two-out single for his 34th save in 41 chances.
St. Louis’ Pedro Pagés poked a hard-hit groundball to the right side of the infield to lead off the ninth inning, but Naylor made a fine play to take away a single.
Naylor is in the midst of a four-game RBIs streak, over which he’s driven in seven runs and hit three home runs. In 17 home games at T-Mobile Park since being acquired from Arizona, Naylor is hitting .379 with 12 runs, five doubles, 13 RBIs, eight stolen bases and five walks.
Cardinals RHP Michael McGreevy (6-3, 4.68) and Mariners RHP Logan Gilbert (4-6, 3.61) start Wednesday night’s finale of the three-game series.
