Tom Murphy hit two home runs and drove in four runs as the Seattle Mariners defeated the Tampa Bay Rays 9-3 Monday night in St. Petersburg, Fla.
Austin Nola also homered for the Mariners, who improved to 5-2 on their nine-game trip to Detroit, Toronto and Tampa Bay.
Tommy Pham and Austin Meadows went deep for the Rays, who had a two-game winning streak snapped. The Rays' lead over the idle Oakland A's for the American League's second and final wild card was trimmed to one game.
Mariners left-hander Marco Gonzales (13-10) pitched five innings, allowing three runs on five hits. He walked two and struck out five.
Rays rookie left-hander Brendan McKay (2-3) was knocked out after two innings. McKay allowed seven runs, although only three were earned because of a couple of errors, on three hits with three walks and one strikeout.
The Mariners took a 3-0 lead in the top of the first. With one out, J.P. Crawford and Nola walked. An out later, Murphy hit a three-run shot to left field.
The Rays got one run back in the bottom of the inning on Pham's leadoff homer to left-center field, his 19th of the season.
The Mariners scored four unearned runs in the second to take a 7-1 lead.
Mallex Smith led off and reached base on a throwing error by shortstop Willy Adames. Keon Broxton then walked, sending Smith to second. Dee Gordon grounded into a forceout, but Smith scored and Gordon reached second on the play because of a fielding error by second baseman Eric Sogard.
Crawford's two-out single to left scored Gordon, and Nola followed with a two-run shot to left-center, his seventh homer.
The Mariners added single runs in the fourth and fifth innings to take a 9-1 advantage, the latter on Murphy's solo homer to left, his 15th.
With two outs in the bottom of the fifth, Pham walked and Meadows followed with a two-run shot to right, his 21st.
Seattle relievers Erik Swanson (two innings), Taylor Guilbeau (one inning) and Cory Gearrin (one inning) blanked the Rays on one hit overall.
--Field Level Media
