Seattle led for three innings. It wasn't enough. Tampa Bay answered with runs in the fourth, fifth and sixth to turn a one-run deficit into a comfortable win, riding a stretch of scoreless relief that shut the door completely.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TB | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 14 | 2 |
| SEA | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 0 |
Ian Seymour was the difference. The right-hander worked 6.0 innings, allowing just 1 run on 5 hits while striking out 7 and walking 2. He improved to 9-3 on the season, carrying a 4.08 ERA. The Tampa Bay bullpen backed him up perfectly, with three relievers combining for 3.0 scoreless innings, including Steven Matz, who picked up his first save of the season with a clean, hitless inning.
Seattle grabbed the early lead in the first when Cole Young singled to right and Taylor Ward scored. But Tampa Bay answered in the fourth, tying it at 1-1 when Yandy Diaz singled to left and Cedric Mullins scored, with Richie Palacios moving to second. The Rays then took the lead for good in the fifth, as Mullins himself delivered the go-ahead run, singling to center to score Junior Caminero. Tampa Bay padded the margin in the sixth when Liam Hicks doubled to left, scoring both Diaz and Chandler Simpson to make it 4-1.
Emerson Hancock took the loss for Seattle, allowing 2 runs on 9 hits over 4.2 innings with 3 strikeouts and a walk, falling to 6-7 with a 3.35 ERA. The Mariners' bullpen kept things from getting worse, covering 4.1 innings but still allowing 2 runs. Seattle managed only 6 hits as a team and could not answer after the first inning.
Diaz went 4-for-5 with an RBI and sits at 489 career RBI, 11 shy of the 500 mark. Simpson also collected 4 hits in his 5 at-bats. Tampa Bay improved to 71-46 and extended its winning streak to six games, holding the top spot in its division. Seattle fell to 56-63, losing its fourth straight.