Mike Ford, J.P. Crawford and Cal Raleigh hit home runs off Lyon Richardson to power the Seattle Mariners to a 8-4 win over the Reds to salvage the final game of the three-game series. The long blasts made GABP look smaller than it really is.
The Reds were trying to sweep the Mariners. Had they been successful they would have swept each of the top four teams in the American League West. As it ended the Reds finished 13-2 against perhaps the toughest division in the AL.
The Reds jumped on Logan Gilbert in the first inning. TJ Friedl tripled down the line and Spencer Steer's high bouncing ball got over the head of Seattle shortstop Crawford's head for a run scoring single.
Richardson pitched a scoreless first inning but he walked Ty France on a 3-2 pitch in front of Mike Ford's 16th home run to hand the Mariners the lead.
The Mariners broke the game open in the fourth inning against Richardson. Former Red Eugenio Suarez got his first hit of the series with a line single to left. Suarez scored from first on a double into the left field corner by France. Josh Rojas walked and scored on Crawford's 15th home run. One out later Raleigh lined his 26th home run into the first row of the right field stands to put the Mariners up 7-2.
It was Richardson's fourth big league start. He pitched 4 2/3 innings, allowing seven runs on seven hits. He walked four which didn't help and struck out three. It was the three home runs that changed the game in the Mariners favor.
"Lyon had good stuff," David Bell said. "He got off to a good start. He had a good fastball and a good change up. Give them a lot of credit, the home runs came on fastballs that got a little too much of the plate. But it is still very early in his process. That is a very good team over there. It will give him something to learn from and build on."
"I think I just misplaced a couple fastballs," said Richardson after pitching well in two Reds' wins. "I don't think it was anything major. I just missed a couple pitches. If I throw fastballs where they need to be thrown and minimize my misses and I think things will be better."
The rookie, who gave up two home runs on his first two pitches in his first career start against Washington, battled through to the fifth.
Will Benson hit his second double of the game and scored on a sacrifice fly from Friedl in the fifth inning.
The Reds got one run off Gilbert in the sixth. Elly De La Cruz walked and stole second. He scored on a single by Christian Encarnacion-Strand. Stephenson and Noelvi Marte singled to load the bases but reliever Matt Brash struck out Benson and retired Jake Fraley on a ground out to end the inning.
Daniel Duarte surrendered a run in the seventh. Raleigh singled and Teoscar Hernandez, who extended his hitting streak to 15 games in the first inning, walked. Duarte got Dominic Canzone and Suarez out but France hit his second single of the game to restore the five-run lead.
Benson hit his ninth home run, a solo shot, off Andres Munoz in ninth to provide the final score.
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