Cal Raleigh hit his major-league-leading 43rd homer of the season as the Seattle Mariners rallied to defeat the visiting Tampa Bay Rays 3-2 on Friday in the opener of a three-game series.
Raleigh’s three-run shot to right-center field with two outs in the eighth inning off Rays reliever Griffin Jax (1-6) -- after one-out singles by J.P. Crawford and Cole Young -- gave the Mariners their fifth consecutive victory.
Seattle reliever Carlos Vargas (4-5) threw one perfect inning, and Matt Brash struck out the side in order in the ninth for his second save.
Brandon Lowe and Junior Caminero homered and Drew Rasmussen pitched six scoreless innings for the Rays, who had a two-game winning streak snapped.
Rasmussen, an All-Star right-hander who was born in nearby Puyallup, Wash., allowed just fo