Working around another poor start, Marco Gonzales had his best outing of the season to lead the Mariners to a 4-2 victory over the Orioles in Baltimore in Game 1 of their doubleheader on Jackie Robinson Day Thursday.
Gonzales, the Mariners’ ace, had been hit hard in his first two starts of the season, giving up 12 runs in 10-plus innings against the Giants and Twins, including five home runs.
He allowed another homer — a two-out, two-run shot run to Trey Mancini — in the first inning Thursday.
He settled down to retire 10 in a row during one stretch, and allowed only one baserunner — a fifth-inning walk — in his final four innings.
“I have done this a lot of times before. Failed a lot of times before. And, you know, this is nothing new to me,” Gonzales said. “I wouldn’t be here if I hadn’t failed and learn from my mistakes a lot. You’re going to get the same guy every time out, and I’m going to keep putting in the work to get continue to get better.”
Gonzales (1-1) got the win when the Mariners rallied in the top of the sixth inning.
Jose Marmolejos walked to lead off the sixth. With two outs and two strikes, J.P. Crawford pulled a slider from lefty Tanner Scott just fair down the right-field line, scoring pinch runner Braden Bishop from second and Dylan Morris from first to give the Mariners a 4-2 lead.
After a slow start to the season, Crawford has seven hits in the last five games — none bigger than Thursday’s double.
Mitch Haniger’s two-run home run finally helped chase Orioles starter Matt Harvey in the fifth inning. That tied the score at 2.
Haniger’s blast was measured at 436 feet, the longest home run of the season for Seattle. It was his third homer in 12 games this season in his long-awaited return to the lineup.
“He’s a game-changer,” Crawford said. “I’m happy he’s healthy, that’s the main thing. He’s helping, he’s ready to go. And not even (just) on the offensive side, he’s an absolute weapon out there and right field too — covering tons of ground, making diving plays every other day. You can’t teach that type of ball player. I’m happy he’s healthy, and I’m happy he’s back in our lineup.”
