ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Yandy Diaz hit an opposite-field, two-run home run off Mariners left-hander Tayler Saucedo that just cleared the wall in right field, and the Tampa Bay Rays rallied from an early three-run deficit to walk off the Mariners, 7-5, on Saturday at Tropicana Field.
And so it goes for the Mariners’ beleaguered bullpen of late.
The Mariners took advantage of an erratic Aaron Civale to score three runs in the top of the first inning, and Julio Rodriguez hit a home run off a Tropicana Field catwalk in the second inning to give the Mariners a 4-1 lead.
Rodriguez has 29 home runs this season, to go along with 36 steals, closing in on becoming just the second Mariners player to post a 30-30 season.
Rookie Bryan Woo had his turn in the rotation skipped Saturday as the Mariners remain cautious with his workload. He’s in line to pitch Tuesday back in Seattle against the Angels.
The Mariners opted for a bullpen day in Woo’s place Saturday. Right-hander Trent Thornton served as the “opener,” pitching two strong innings, allowing one unearned run with one hit, one walk and three strikeouts.
Luke Weaver was the “bulk” pitcher after that, and he allowed four runs on four hits over 4 1/3 innings.
Weaver was dealing his first time through the Rays lineup. But he walked No. 9 hitter Taylor Walls with two outs in the fifth inning, putting two runners on for Brandon Lowe, who turned on the first pitch and doubled down the right-field line to drive in two runs.
That cut the Mariners’ lead to 4-3.
The Mariners’ bullpen has been overextended on this 10-game road trip, and Scott Servais had said before the game that he would need length from Weaver.
Which is why Weaver remained in the game for the seventh inning. He didn’t make it out of the inning.
Walls singled to drive in the tying run off Weaver.
Gabe Speier, frustrated he didn’t a strike-three call on the inner half the pitch before, then gave up a double to the pinch-hitting Diaz.
That gave the Rays a 5-4 lead.
The Mariners tied it up at 5-5 with two outs in the eighth when Eugenio Suarez scored from third on a wild pitch — the first pitch thrown by reliever Robert Stephenson to Ty France.
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