Mariners Edge Twins 6-5, Extend Minnesota's Losing Streak

In a tense ninth inning, Julio Rodríguez delivered a sacrifice fly that secured a 6-5 victory for the Seattle Mariners over the Minnesota Twins on Tuesday night. This win marked Seattle's eighth triumph in their last eleven games.

The Twins, who found themselves trailing 5-0 early in the game, managed to tie the score by the fourth inning. However, this defeat extended their losing streak to five games and 15 losses in their last 18 outings.

Jhoan Duran, pitching for Minnesota, faced trouble in the ninth after hitting Jorge Polanco with a pitch. Pinch-runner Dylan Moore advanced to third on Cole Young's single. Duran then hit J.P. Crawford, loading the bases. Rodríguez capitalized on the situation, driving a deep ball to right field that brought Moore home and moved Young to third base. The Twins opted to intentionally walk Cal Raleigh, the league's home run leader, to reload the bases, but Duran managed to strike out Randy Arozarena.

Andrés Muñoz pitched a flawless eighth inning for Seattle, while Matt Brash closed out the game with a perfect ninth, earning his first save since 2023.

For the Mariners, Donovan Solano and Young each recorded two hits, contributing to a strong offensive performance that included three hit-by-pitches.

Kody Clemens provided some hope for the Twins with a home run, and Ryan Jeffers added a two-out, two-run double. Seattle's early dominance was highlighted by a five-run third inning featuring Rodríguez's sacrifice fly, Raleigh's RBI single, and Solano's two-run single.

Duran struggled with control, notably hitting Polanco after going ahead 0-2 in the count. Paddack faced challenges as well, needing 36 pitches to navigate through the tumultuous third inning while only throwing 44 pitches across his other four innings combined.

Looking ahead, Twins right-hander Joe Ryan (7-3, 3.06) is set to face off against Seattle's George Kirby (1-3, 6.16) on Wednesday night.