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Zunino’s blast keeps Seattle in playoff chase
- Updated: September 30, 2016
SEATTLE — The Mariners’ postseason hopes might be flickering, but Mike Zunino isn’t ready to turn out the lights just yet.
Zunino’s home run leading off the seventh lifted Seattle to a 3-2 victory over the A’s in Thursday’s series opener at Safeco Field and keeps the Mariners two games back of the Orioles and Blue Jays in the American League Wild Card chase with three games remaining.
Zunino’s go-ahead blast was his 12th of the season and Ketel Marte added an RBI single in the eighth as Seattle handed Oakland its ninth loss in the past 10 games. The A’s scored a run on three singles in the ninth and had runners on first and third before 22-year-old closer Edwin Diaz slammed the door for his 18th save.
The Mariners have won 15 of their past 21 to bump themselves up to a season-best 11 games over .500 at 85-74, but Baltimore’s 4-0 victory over Toronto leaves them little wiggle room heading into the season’s closing weekend.
If the Mariners win their final three, they’ll need either the Orioles …
