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Eugenio Suarez joins 40 home run club with laser beam vs. Athletics
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- Eugenio Suarez joins 40 home run club with laser beam vs. Athletics
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The post Eugenio Suarez joins 40 home run club with laser beam vs. Athletics appeared first on ClutchPoints .
The Seattle Mariners made history when they teamed up Eugenio Suarez and Cal Raleigh at the trade deadline. The sluggers were expected to lead Seattle past the Houston Astros in the AL West. But the Mariners hit a slump, losing five straight games entering their series opener against the Athletics .
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Seattle ended its skid Friday with some help from Suarez. The All-Star third baseman got the Mariners on the board in the fifth inning with his 40th homer of the season. The laser beam blast got out in a hurry, just clearing the fence. With the shot, Suarez became the fifth player to join the 40 home run club this season, per Talkin' Baseball.
Suarez has struggled since joining the Mariners at the end of July. In the 19 games prior to Friday's matchup against the A's, the 12th-year veteran slashed .181/.221/.361 with three home runs, 10 RBI and nine runs scored.
However, Suarez may be pulling out of his funk. He's now homered in back-to-back games and he's driven in four runs in the last three contests. Even with the slump, Suarez is still tied for the second-most home runs in the AL. And he's second in the league with 98 RBI, trailing only Raleigh.
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Mariners end five-game skid with win over A's
Steven Bisig-Imagn Images
Seattle needs Suarez to return to form. Since pulling even with the Astros in the division on August 12 the Mariners have lost seven of the last eight games. The team's win over the A's ended a five-game losing streak that included a three-game sweep by the Phillies .
The Mariners had their ace Bryan Woo on the mound for Friday's matchup. Woo continued his remarkable MLB-record streak of throwing at least six innings while issuing two or fewer walks. He's now accomplished the feat in 25 straight starts.
Woo dominated the A's, allowing one run on one hit and two walks with seven strikeouts in seven innings. He improved to 11-7 on the season with a 2.94 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and 160 strikeouts in 159 innings.
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The Mariners made up a five-game deficit in the two weeks following the trade deadline, moving into a tie for first place with the Astros. But the team's recent cold streak ended the momentum. The Mariners are now two games behind Houston in the division.
Related: Mariners 1B Josh Naylor hits career milestone vs. Athletics
Related: Mariners' Julio Rodriguez issues strong message after Phillies sweep
