Nellie’s homer lifts Mariners to 6th straight win

SEATTLE — Nelson Cruz’s towering home run to center field in the eighth inning snapped a taut tie game and sparked a Mariners rally that gave them a 3-1 victory over the Tigers on Wednesday night at Safeco Field. Seattle swept Detroit in the three-game series and has won a season-high six consecutive games.

Felix Hernandez and Justin Verlander, both former American League Cy Young Award winners, had engaged in a classic, old-school pitchers’ duel, throwing 238 pitches between the two of them. Each lasted seven innings and gave up one run, with Hernandez striking out eight while throwing 117 pitches and Verlander punching out six while throwing 121.

The Mariners struck first, with Robinson Cano lacing an opposite-field solo homer over the left-field wall in the first inning, and the Tigers made it 1-1 in the fourth, when J.D. Martinez capitalized on a two-walk inning by Hernandez by singling home Ian Kinsler with two outs.

The mastery of the veteran starters left it up to the bullpens, and Detroit’s faltered for the second consecutive night. Left-hander Justin Wilson, who gave up Kyle Seager’s game-tying three-run shot in the eighth inning of Tuesday night’s 15-inning marathon, left a 95-mph fastball up on a 1-1 count to Cruz with one out in the eighth for the go-ahead run. Seager added a one-out single, Mike Zunino worked a two-out walk, and Leonys Martin cashed in Seattle’s third run with a flare single to left field.

Nick Vincent closed …

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