Raleigh has HR, 3 RBIs as Mariners beat Royals 6-5

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Cal Raleigh hit a homer and drove in three runs as the Seattle Mariners clinched a 6-5 win over the Kansas City Royals on Saturday night.

The Mariners have won two of three after losing five of six as they attempt to hold off the Baltimore Orioles for third and final wildcard spot. They finished half a game behind Tampa Bay, which lost to Toronto.

Eliminating in ninth place Jarred Kelenic and Jesse Winker beat Brad Keller (6-14) ahead of Raleigh’s tied RBI double. Raleigh had leveled the score at 5-5 with his 25th homer, a two-barrel shot to start the sixth inning.

Paul Sewald (5-4) secured the win with two scoreless innings and Andres Munoz worked the ninth for his fourth save.

The loss ended the Royals’ best four-game winning streak of the season.

Both teams had multiple baserunners in each of the first four innings and traded points as the Royals led 5-3.

The starting pitchers fought from the start. The Royals’ Kris Bubic, who has not won since July 24, an 11-start span, allowed 11 runners before leaving with two in fifth place.

Seattle’s Logan Gilbert had not allowed more than three runs in his last seven starts through Aug. 14 before giving up five runs and seven hits over five innings.

Ty France had three goals and scored four times safely for the Mariners.

Salvador Perez extended his hitting streak to 10 games with a double in the first inning for Kansas City. Vinnie Pasquantino followed with his ninth homer for a 2-1 lead.

JP Crawford had an RBI single in the second to tie for the Mariners before the Royals regained the lead on Drew Water’s RBI triple in the bottom of the inning. Nate Eaton’s sacrifice fly in the third goal gave Kansas City a 4-2 lead.

France’s RBI single in the fourth drew Seattle within one before Bobby Witt Jr.’s run-scoring hit put the Royals back by two at the end of the inning.

After recently signing a five-year contract extension, Mariners RHP Luis Castillo (7-6, 2.85 ERA) meets Royals RHP Max Castillo (0-1, 2.97).