Julio Rodriguez, Will Wilson, Cole Young Go Yard as Mariners Edge Cardinals 11-9 in Slugfest

The Mariners survived a wild, home run-soaked affair in St. Louis on Saturday, taking down the Cardinals 11-9 in a game that featured eight total homers. It was the kind of back-and-forth offensive showcase that had fans on both sides gripping their seats, but Seattle's bats came through when it mattered most.

Rodriguez, Wilson, Young Lead the Charge

Julio Rodriguez, Will Wilson, and Cole Young each went deep for the Mariners, while Leo Rivas delivered the dagger: a two-run single in the ninth inning with the bases loaded off Cardinals reliever Riley O'Brien. That hit came against a pitcher who had been nearly untouchable entering the day, having allowed zero earned runs over his previous 13 appearances.

Wilson's blast was especially significant as it marked his first career home run, coming in the second inning to give Seattle a 4-2 lead. The Mariners needed every bit of that early offense to overcome what turned into a slugfest.

St. Louis Fought Back Hard

The Cardinals were no pushovers. Nathan Church went absolutely nuclear with two home runs of his own and four RBIs, including a two-run shot in the seventh that briefly gave St. Louis a 9-7 edge. JJ Wetherholt and Iván Herrera launched back-to-back homers to lead off the bottom of the first, while Pedro Pagés added another long ball. That's eight home runs total in one afternoon.

Masyn Winn also extended his hitting streak to 10 games with an RBI single in the fourth, and Connor Joe came off the bench to smack a pinch-hit two-run single that tied things at 9-all before the Mariners pulled away.

Bullpen Delivers When It Counts

Matt Brash pitched a scoreless eighth, and Andrés Muñoz closed it out with a clean ninth for his fifth save of the season. Meanwhile, Bryan Woo took the loss for St. Louis after allowing seven runs on nine hits (four home runs) in three innings, while Matthew Liberatore gave up five runs, all on homers, in 3 1/3 frames for the Cardinals.

The Mariners improve to 13-15 with this win and a three-game winning streak. They wrap up the series Sunday with RHP Emerson Hancock (2-1, 2.83 ERA) facing Cardinals RHP Michael McGreevy (1-2, 3.29).

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.