ATLANTA — Cal Raleigh hit his MLB-leading 53rd home run, and the Seattle Mariners had 20 hits as they scored their most runs since 2012 in an 18-2 rout of the Atlanta Braves on Sunday to win a three-game interleague series at Truist Park.
Eugenio Suárez homered twice, raising his season total to 45, and Josh Naylor and Jorge Polanco also went deep as the Mariners hit five homers in consecutive games for the second time in team history, the first since May 20-21, 1994.
Seattle won 10-2 on Saturday — breaking a game that was tied 2-all heading into the seventh with four of their five home runs over the final three innings — after Atlanta’s 4-1 victory in Friday’s opener.
Naylor and Polanco homered in an eight-run third inning Sunday, and Raleigh hit a three-run drive in a seven-run ninth, giving him 113 RBIs this season. Suárez hit a solo homer in the sixth and a two-run shot in the ninth, and Seattle had its most runs since beating the Texas Rangers 21-8 on May 30, 2012, and its most hits since getting 20 in that game.
The Mariners (75-68), who hold the final wild-card spot in the American League playoff picture with three weeks remaining in the regular season, won consecutive games for the first time since Aug. 24 against the Athletics and the following day versus the San Diego Padres.
Seattle starting pitcher Luis Castillo (9-8) allowed one run — Jurickson Profar’s leadoff homer in the bottom of the fourth — and four hits in six innings. Castillo, who struck out six batters without issuing a walk, won for the first time since July 28 after going 0-2 with a 7.31 ERA in his previous six starts.
After a single by Raleigh in the third, Julio Rodríguez hit a sharp potential double-play grounder that deflected off third baseman Nacho Alvarez Jr.’s left thigh and into left field for a three-run double that put the Mariners ahead 4-0.
Profar was the only Atlanta player with more than one hit as the Braves totaled six. Michael Harris II had a sacrifice fly in the ninth to drive in their other run.
Atlanta scratched scheduled starter Spencer Strider on Sunday morning and pushed him back to Tuesday and the second matchup of a three-game series against the Chicago Cubs that starts Monday.
Atlanta left-hander Joey Wentz (5-6) gave up eight runs, matching his career high, and eight hits in 2 1/3 innings.
The Braves (64-79) have lost four of their past six games and seven of their past 10. Atlanta made the playoffs the past seven years but is ahead of only three teams in the National League, 12 games out of a wild-card spot with 19 games to play.