Raley homers, Mariners snatch 1st win of the season in 5-1 victory against Guardians

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SEATTLE (AP) — Luke Raley hit his second home run in as many games as the Seattle Mariners beat the Cleveland Guardians 5-1 on Friday night for their first win of the season.

Raley, who hit only four home runs last season in an injury-plagued year, walloped a belt-high cutter from Guardians reliever Colin Holderman and hit it 390 feet to plate a pair and give the reigning AL west champions a 5-1 lead.

Seattle jumped out in front in the fourth inning when Cole Young hit a three-run shot to right field off Guardians starter Gavin Williams (0-1). The second-year second baseman cranked a fastball from Williams that ran over the heart of the plate and deposited it into the bleachers in right-center field.

The Guardians, who won Thursday’s game 6-4 thanks in large part to a pair of home runs by rookie Chase DeLauter, benefited from another home run by the top prospect on Friday.

In the first inning, DeLauter launched a 1-0 slider by Seattle starter George Kirby (1-0) and hit it 360 feet to right field. He is the third player since at least 1900 with three home runs in his first two career regular-season games, joining Trevor Story (2016) and Joe Cunningham (1954).

That was all the offense Cleveland could muster against Kirby, who only allowed one more hit over his six innings of work. Cleveland loaded the bases against Kirby with one out in the fifth inning, but Rhys Hoskins tried to score from third base on a shallow fly ball and was thrown out at home plate by Randy Arozarena.

Kirby struck out six and walked two.

LHP Joey Cantillo takes the mound for the Guardians in the third game of the four-game series opposite Mariners RHP Bryan Woo.

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