SAN DIEGO – Julio Rodríguez went 4 for 4 with a 411-foot home run to the second deck in left field, Cal Raleigh hit a two-run homer from either side of the plate and All-Star Logan Gilbert was brilliant for the AL West leader , Seattle Mariners, who beat the San Diego Padres 8-3 on Tuesday night.
Rodríguez also drove in two runs and scored three times in his biggest game of the year. The 2022 AL Rookie of the Year has been in a slump since mid-June, although he scored and doubled in a 7-3 win against Baltimore on Thursday. That home run was his first since June 15th. It was his second four-hit game of the season and the 10th of his career.
“He’s playing a little angry right now,” coach Scott Servais said. “There’s some revenge here. Some people got away with some things in the first half of the season. Hopefully he can continue.
“When he’s in that two-strike count and you see him give up pitches and miss pitches, and then walk away like that, your confidence starts to grow. When it all starts with Julio, it’s a runaway train and it’s a lot of fun to watch.”
Rodríguez’s ninth home run, off rookie Adam Mazur (1-3) with one out in the fifth, was so unmistakable that All-Star left fielder Jurickson Profar simply turned and watched him reach the stands with a lead of 5-0.
“It’s not anger, it’s just the way I play,” Rodríguez said.
Rodríguez, who hit an RBI single in the first, was on board for both of Raleigh’s pitches. He scored ahead of Raleigh’s home run to right with one out in the third and doubled ahead of Raleigh’s line drive to left with one out in the seventh. Raleigh extended his team’s lead to 17. Raleigh also doubled in the ninth.
Rodríguez left with a calf injury late in the game but said he should be fine.
He said he went through a mental transition recently, like flipping a switch.
“Sometimes you just have to. Sometimes you feel a little sorry for yourself and then you just take responsibility for what you do and be yourself no matter what. This little thing may seem simple, but I feel like that little push of a button can change a lot for you.”
Raleigh had his sixth career multi-homer game and second of his career with home runs from both sides of the plate.
“I wasn’t thinking about that,” he said. “Just trying to include Julio. It’s a cool thing to do, for sure, but I wasn’t really trying.”
Gilbert (6-5) threw a shutout in the seventh before allowing Jake Cronenworth’s home run with one out. The tall right-hander allowed Kyle Higashioka’s two-run homer with two outs in the eighth and was pulled. He allowed four hits in 7 2/3 innings, struck out seven and walked one.
Mazur allowed five runs and seven hits in 4 2/3 innings, struck out six and walked two.
Gregory Santos made his Mariners debut with a hitless, scoreless ninth. He was reinstated from the 60-day injured list on Monday after missing 92 games with a back strain suffered during spring training. He was acquired in a trade with the Chicago White Sox in February.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Padres: SS Xander Bogaerts, on the injured list since May 21 with a broken left shoulder, has taken several live hits and plans to go on a rehab assignment to Class A Lake Elsinore. this weekend if all goes well.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Padres: RHP Wandy Peralta left injured in the ninth after allowing Raleigh’s double.
NEXT
Mariners RHP Bryce Miller (6-7, 3.84 ERA) and Padres RHP Michael King (7-5, 3.51) are scheduled to start the series finale Wednesday afternoon.
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