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Mariners drown Rockies with early runs

The Seattle Mariners’ Jesus Montero, front, connected for a double to drive in two runs off Colorado Rockies starting pitcher Eddie Butler in the first inning Monday.

DENVER – Felix Hernandez pitched effectively into the seventh inning, Nelson Cruz homered in a fourth consecutive game to reach 30 for the season, and the Seattle Mariners beat the Colorado Rockies 8-7 on Monday night.

Kyle Seager homered on the front end of back-to-back shots with Cruz, and Brad Miller added a solo shot among his three hits for the Mariners, who have won three of four since dropping four in a row.

Jose Reyes, in his first appearance at Coors Field since being acquired by Colorado in the trade deadline deal that sent Troy Tulowitzki to Toronto, had two RBI-singles. Charlie Blackmon added four hits, including two doubles.

Trailing 8-4 heading into the bottom of the ninth, the Rockies scored three runs and had runners at the corners with two outs before Carson Smith induced a game-ending fly out from Blackmon for his 10th save.

Bouncing back from a rough start last time out – Hernandez allowed seven runs in Seattle’s 8-2 loss to Arizona last week – the Mariners’ ace went 6 2/3 innings and allowed four runs and 11 hits. He improved to 8-0 with a 1.65 earned-run average in 12 starts after a loss since the beginning of last season.

Hernandez (13-6) struck out nine and walked one in his first career appearance at hitter-friendly Coors Field.

Seattle jumped on Eddie Butler with a four-run first highlighted by Jesus Montero’s two-run double. Butler (3-8) went four innings and allowed seven runs and seven hits, including three homers in losing a third consecutive decision. All of the runs he allowed scored with two outs.

Seager and Cruz went back-to-back in the second inning to put Seattle up 6-1. Cruz’s homer extended his hitting streak to 14 games.

Miller connected for his ninth of the season in the third.

After Blackmon’s RBI-double in the sixth pulled the Rockies within 7-4, Robinson Cano doubled in the top of the seventh to drive in his second run of the game.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Mariners: Cano was back in the starting lineup at 2B after missing time due to a Grade 1 abdominal strain.

Rockies: RHP Chad Bettis was scheduled to throw a bullpen session Tuesday, his first since going on the 15-day DL on July 19, because of right elbow inflammation.

UP NEXT

Mariners: LHP Vidal Nuno (0-0) will make his first start for Seattle since being acquired from Arizona in early June as part of a six-player trade.

Rockies: RHP Jon Gray (0-0), Colorado’s top draft pick and third player taken in the 2013 draft, is slated to make his major league debut Tuesday. He went 3-1 with a 2.70 ERA in six starts last month for Triple-A Albuquerque.



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