Hernández, Kelenic homer as Mariners beat Cardinals 5-4

SEATTLE -- — Teoscar Hernández homered for the second consecutive night, and Eugenio Suárez broke a seventh-inning tie with a two-run single to lead the Seattle Mariners over the St. Louis Cardinals 5-4 on Saturday.

Jarred Kelenic also had a homer and a double for the Mariners. Kelenic and Hernández are tied for the team lead with five home runs.

Tommy Edman hit a solo homer for the Cardinals in the ninth, his third of the season.

With the game tied 3-all, Kolten Wong led off the bottom of the seventh with a walk and J.P. Crawford singled. With two outs, Suárez drove them both in with a hard single to left field.

“He doesn’t panic. He doesn’t try to do too much,” Mariners manager Scott Servias said. “He’s a great guy to have up in those spots. He doesn’t always come through, nobody always comes through, but you’re going to get a good at-bat. He’s going to get his best swing off, and that’s what he did tonight.”

Seattle starter Luis Castillo had by far his worst outing of the season, giving up three runs on seven hits in five innings — his shortest stint this year. In his previous four starts, the right-hander had allowed just two runs and 11 hits in 24 2/3 innings.

“He’s one of the best pitchers in the game,” St. Louis manager Oliver Marmol said. “Not many teams get seven hits and put up three runs on him, so I thought our guys did a really nice job.”

Matt Brash (2-2) pitched a scoreless seventh, and Paul Sewald earned his sixth save.

Zack Thompson (1-1) took the loss.

The Cardinals’ first two batters singled off Castillo to open the game, and Nolan Arenado drove in the first run with a one-out single.

"It wasn’t one of the outings I normally have throughout the season, but I just kept on battling,” Castillo said.

St. Louis was in position for more in the opening inning, but left the bases loaded.

“They kind of had him against the ropes there and he hung in,” Servais said. “That’s really the separator. Guys that not only have that type of ability, but are that type of competitor.”

Run-scoring doubles by Willson Contreras and Nolan Gorman in the third gave the Cardinals a 3-1 lead.

St. Louis starter Miles Mikolas entered with an 8.10 ERA and generally kept the Mariners quiet. The only Seattle run in the first five innings came on Kelenic’s homer in the second. In the sixth, Hernández chased Mikolas with a two-run homer that tied it at 3.

“We know the things that we can do,” Hernández said. “We can come from behind and score two, three, four, five runs in just a blink of an eye. That gives us the confidence to get going."

TRAINER'S ROOM

Cardinals: INF/OF Brendan Donovan, who returned to the starting lineup Friday after missing two games with a left shin abrasion, was out of the lineup again. Marmol said Donovan would return Sunday.

Mariners: INF/OF Sam Haggerty was reinstated from the seven-day injured list after clearing concussion protocol. C/OF Cooper Hummel was optioned to Triple-A Tacoma.

UP NEXT

Cardinals RHP Jack Flaherty (1-2, 2.95 ERA) makes his second career start against the Mariners on Sunday, and first since 2019. Flaherty has allowed six hits or fewer in his last 29 starts. Mariners RHP Chris Flexen (0-3, 7.79) has lost all three of his starts this season. Flexen gave up four runs and six hits over six innings in his last start against Milwaukee.

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