SEATTLE (AP) — J.P. Crawford hit a grand slam, Emerson Hancock tossed seven scoreless innings and the Seattle Mariners beat the Cleveland Guardians 6-0 on Sunday to complete a sweep.
After an RBI single by Miles Mastrobuoni with one out in the second inning gave the Mariners an early advantage, Crawford opened up the floodgates while the bases were still loaded. He turned on a hanging slider from Luis Ortiz (3-8) and cranked a home run to right field for the fourth grand slam of his major league career.
Mastrobuoni’s RBI single alone would have been sufficient, though, for Hancock (3-2). The young right-hander turned in easily the best start of his major league career, yielding only two hits — both of them singles — while walking one batter and striking out four. Hancock was extremely efficient, needing only 85 pitches to make it through seven innings.
Relievers Casey Legumina and Eduard Bazardo then followed Hancock to complete the combined shutout, which was just the Mariners’ second of the season. They also blanked the Miami Marlins on April 26.
Key moment
Things went south for Ortiz after he issued a leadoff walk to Randy Arozarena in the second inning. He also walked outfielder Dominic Canzone before Crawford’s grand slam gave the Mariners a lead they would not look back from.
Key stat
Since 2023, Crawford is hitting .593 with 42 RBIs when the bases are loaded. He is a career .400 hitter in such situations.
Up next
Seattle right-hander Logan Gilbert (1-1, 2.37) will return from the injured list and start for the Mariners on Monday against the Red Sox, who will send out right-hander Lucas Giolito (2-1, 5.45). The Guardians travel to San Francisco for a series-opener on Tuesday.
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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB
Andrew Destin, The Associated Press
