SAN DIEGO (AP) — Julio Rodriguez went 4 for 4 with a 411-foot home run into the second tier of left field, Cal Raleigh hit a two-run home run from each side of the plate and All-Star Logan Gilbert was brilliant for the American League West-leading Seattle Mariners, who beat the San Diego Padres 8-3 on Tuesday night.
Rodriguez also drove in two runs and scored three times in his biggest game of the year. The 2022 American League Rookie of the Year has been in a slump since mid-June, though he had a home run and a double in a 7-3 win over Baltimore on Thursday. The home run was his first since June 15. It was his second four-hit game of the season and the 10th of his career.
“He’s playing a little angry right now,” manager Scott Servais said. “There’s some payback. Some guys have been able to get through it in the first half of the season. Hopefully he can keep that up.”
“When he’s in those two-strike counts and you see him letting pitches go and fouling pitches and then he gets away with it, his confidence starts to grow. When it starts with Julio, it’s a crazy train and it’s really fun to watch.”
Rodriguez’s ninth home run, off rookie Adam Mazur (1-3) with one out in the fifth, was so obvious that All-Star left fielder Jurickson Profar turned and saw it fly into the stands for a 5-0 lead.
“It’s not anger, it’s just my way of playing,” Rodriguez said.
Rodriguez, who hit an RBI single in the first inning, was on both of Raleigh’s at-bats. He singled before Raleigh’s one-out home run to right in the third inning and doubled before Raleigh’s one-out home run to left in the seventh inning. Raleigh extended its lead to 17. Raleigh also doubled in the ninth inning.
Rodriguez exited late in the game with a strained calf but said he should be fine.
He said he recently experienced a mental shift, like flipping a switch.
“Sometimes you have to do it. Sometimes you feel sorry for yourself a little bit and you take responsibility for what you do and you just be yourself no matter what. It might seem like a small thing, but I feel like that small thing can make a big difference for you.”
Raleigh had his sixth career multi-homer game and second career homers from both sides of the plate.
“I wasn’t thinking about it at all,” he said. “I was just trying to get Julio to come. It’s a cool thing to do, for sure, but I wasn’t really trying to do it.”
Gilbert (6-5) went one-hit into the seventh inning before allowing Jake Cronenworth’s one-out home run. The big right-hander allowed Kyle Higashioka’s two-run home run with two outs in the eighth inning and was pulled. He allowed four hits in 7 2/3 innings, striking out seven and walking one.
Mazur allowed five runs and seven hits in 4 2/3 innings, struck out six and walked two.
Gregory Santos made his Mariners debut with a no-hitter, no-run ninth inning. He was reinstated from the 60-day injured list Monday after missing 92 games with a back injury suffered in spring training. He was acquired in a trade with the Chicago White Sox in February.
TRAINERS’ ROOM
Padres: SS Xander Bogaerts, on the injured list since May 21 with a fractured left shoulder, made several at-bats and plans to go on a rehab assignment with Class A Lake Elsinore. He said he could return for a series against Atlanta this weekend if all goes well.
TRAINERS’ ROOM
Padres: Right-handed pitcher Wandy Peralta left the field with an injury in the ninth inning after allowing a double to Raleigh.
FOLLOWING
Mariners right-handed pitcher Bryce Miller (6-7, 3.84 ERA) and Padres right-handed pitcher Michael King (7-5, 3.51 ERA) are scheduled to start the series finale Wednesday afternoon.
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