Jorge Polanco hit two solo home runs and added an RBI single to help the Seattle Mariners defeat the Chicago White Sox 6-3 on Saturday night. The Mariners are still a game behind first-place Houston in the AL West.
Cal Raleigh hit his team-leading 21st home run, and Victor Robles had three hits and an RBI. Seattle (55-51) won its second game in a row and handed the White Sox, who have the worst record in the majors, their 13th consecutive loss, just one short of their team record. The Mariners, who had previously led the division by 10 games, have only three wins in their last 11 games.
The Mariners have had a tough time hitting this season but followed up their strong offensive performance from Friday’s 10-0 win with another good showing.
“The story for me is really offensively,” Seattle manager Scott Servais said. “Polo (Polanco) had a huge night with the two home runs and a big RBI single at the end. Victor Robles has been amazing for our team, not just on the field (in center), but with his play and the energy he brings.”
Polanco’s sixth career multi-homer game gave him three home runs in his last two games and brought his season total to nine. His batting average has risen to .209 after a difficult first half.
“I’m feeling really good at the plate the last couple of games,” Polanco said. “You just got to keep working on things and it’s paying off right now. I’m timing the fastball better now; at the beginning of the season it wasn’t as good.”
All-Star Randy Arozarena made his Seattle debut, batting second and playing left field after being acquired from Tampa Bay on Thursday. The 2021 AL Rookie of the Year went 1 for 4 with an infield single, a walk, and two strikeouts.
The White Sox (27-80) have lost 19 of their last 22 games and are 53 or more games under .500 for the first time since being 46-99 in 1932. Chicago has fallen behind the 1962 Mets (28-79) for the worst record through 107 games.
Polanco and Raleigh hit back-to-back home runs off reliever Justin Anderson in the fifth inning, as the Mariners scored consecutive homers for the second game in a row against the White Sox and for just the second time this season.
Bryan Woo gave up one run on four hits over four innings, and then five relievers took over. Collin Snider (1-1) pitched a scoreless fifth inning to earn the win.
Right-hander Yimi Garcia, who was acquired from Toronto on Friday, made his Mariners debut with a clean seventh inning. Andrés Muñoz recorded the final four outs to earn his 17th save.
Erick Fedde (7-4) allowed three runs on six hits in four innings, his shortest outing in 22 starts this season. Rookie Brooks Baldwin had three hits, including two doubles. Fedde struggled in the fourth inning, giving up all three runs.
“Fedde started the game really sharp, ran into a little bit of trouble there,” Chicago manager Pedro Grifol said. “A couple of walks. Pitch count got really high. Threw 30 pitches in that inning, and we’re managing the workload with him.”
The White Sox took a 1-0 lead in the third inning with Andrew Vaughn’s RBI single.
Seattle went ahead 3-1 in the fourth inning. Polanco tied the game with a home run to center field. After two walks, Dylan Moore and Robles had two-out RBI singles to give the Mariners the lead.
Raleigh’s 429-foot home run to right-center and Polanco’s second home run of the night in the fifth inning extended the lead to 5-1. Polanco added his third RBI in the eighth inning to make it 6-2.
