SEATTLE (AP) — Cal Raleigh launched his major league-leading 44th home run, Julio Rodríguez went deep twice and the surging Seattle Mariners defeated the Tampa Bay Rays 7-4 on Saturday night after retiring Ichiro Suzuki’s No. 51 jersey.

Seattle extended its win streak to six, the longest active run in the American League, and moved within a half-game of Houston atop the AL West.

After hitting the go-ahead homer in the eighth inning Friday night, Raleigh delivered another three-run shot Saturday to put Seattle up 5-1 in the third. Rodríguez connected on the next pitch from starter Joe Boyle (1-2), who lasted 3 1/3 innings.

Rodríguez also hit a two-run homer in the first, a 436-foot drive, and has 23 home runs this season.

___

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

Featured

Six soldiers were honored, each receiving Meritorious Service Medals, Thursday for heroic actions responding to the shooting at Fort Stewart. “One of the things I can say unequivocally is that the fast action of these soldiers — under stress and under trauma and under fire — absolutely saved lives from being lost,” U.S. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll told reporters as the six soldiers stood near him Thursday. “They are everything that is good about this nation.” (Hyosub Shin/AJC)

Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC