PITTSBURGH (AP) — Braxton Ashcraft pitched six strong innings, batterymate Endy Roriguez drove in three runs and Ryan O’Hearn had three hits to help the Pittsburgh Pirates rout the Seattle Mariners 11-1 on Wednesday night.
Ashcraft (7-3) had 10 strikeouts without a walk while allowing one run and five hits. He became the first Pirates pitcher to have at least two starts in the same season with at least 10 strikeouts and zero walks since at least 1901.
Rodriguez’s two-run double opened the scoring in a five-run fourth inning against Bryan Woo (6-6) as the Pirates went ahead 5-1. Rodriguez also singled in a run in a four-run seventh that pushed the lead to 9-1.
Carmen Mlodzinski pitched four scoreless innings for his second save.
Tyler Callihan tripled home Rodriguez in the fourth, Jake Mangum, and Esmerlyn Valdez followed with run-scoring singles.
O’Hearn doubled twice, including one that drove in a pair in the seventh. Valdez and Nick Gonzales had two hits and Callihan had two RBIs.
Woo started the game with three hitless innings, but then fell apart in the fourth and was lifted at the end of the inning. He gave up five runs and six hits with four strikeouts and two walks.
The AL West-leading Mariners got their run in the first when J.P. Crawford, Cal Raleigh and Julio Rodriguez hit consecutive singles to begin the game. Ashcraft eventually settled in and retired the last 10 batters.
Rodriguez and Josh Naylor had two hits for the Mariners.
Pirates first baseman Spencer Horwitz left the game with left hamstring discomfort in the fourth inning. Valdez pinch-hit and delivered an RBI single.
Mariners RHP Bryce Miller (3-1, 1.58) was set to start against RHP Bubba Chandler (2-7, 4.62) on Thursday in the series finale.
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