Haniger hits grand slam in Mariners' 6-1 win. Diamondbacks ace Gallen leaves with hamstring injury

SEATTLE (AP) — Mitch Haniger hit a grand slam in the sixth inning, two batters after Arizona ace Zac Gallen left because of tightness in his right hamstring, and the Seattle Mariners beat the Diamondbacks 6-1 on Friday night.

Gallen (3-2) walked Josh Rojas to lead off the sixth, then was pulled in the middle of Julio Rodríguez’s subsequent at-bat.

“Just a right hamstring spasm and I think we really dodged a bullet,” Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said. “Credit him, it’s hard to pull back in those situations and understand what you body is feeling and call out your catcher. I think he’s hopefully going to be fine.”

Rodríguez went on to single off Scott McGough, and Cal Raleigh walked to load the bases for Haniger, who hammered a 389-foot shot to left-center on a full-count fastball.

“Honestly, just trying to get a ball in the air in the outfield, ” Haniger said. “Trying to hit a sac fly really, but obviously put a good swing on it and hit it hard as you can. 3-2, selling out for a fastball with nowhere to put me.”

Josh Rojas and Mitch Garver also homered for Seattle, and Emerson Hancock (3-2) threw six strong innings. Rojas homered on Gallen’s first pitch of the game, and Garver made it a 2-0 in the second.

Arizona’s Kevin Newman homered in the sixth, one of two hits allowed by Hancock. Trent Thornton and Cody Bolton combined for three scoreless innings in relief.

“Another outstanding starting pitching performance tonight,” manager Scott Servais said. “We are on a roll with our starters, really our whole pitching staff. They’ve just been outstanding here over the past couple of weeks.”

Mariners starters have gone 14 consecutive starts without allowing two or more earned runs, a franchise record.

“It’s special, I think everyone knows that,” Hancock said. “But I think for us, ... we’re always trying to get better. We really are. We’re trying to work, we want to just keep pushing, and each guy that goes out there, I feel like we have confidence he gives the team a good chance to win."

Gallen allowed three hits and three earned runs.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Diamondbacks: P Paul Sewald (oblique) was set to throw a bullpen Saturday and will most likely make another minor-league rehab appearance before making his return from the Injured List.

Mariners: Bryan Woo (elbow) will make his second rehab start Saturday at Triple-A Tacoma and will likely make one more before returning to the active roster … RHP Matt Brash (elbow) is throwing at 100% and was being examined Friday in Seattle to determine if he’ll go on a rehab assignment soon.

UP NEXT

Mariners right-hander George Kirby (2-2, 5.33 ERA) was scheduled to pitch Saturday against Diamondbacks right-hander Slade Cecconi (1-0, 3.00 ERA).

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

Seattle Mariners' Josh Rojas follows through on a solo home run against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the first inning of a baseball game Friday, April 26, 2024, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

Seattle Mariners' Josh Rojas (4) is greeted by Julio Rodríguez after Rojas hit a solo home run against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the first inning of a baseball game Friday, April 26, 2024, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

Arizona Diamondbacks' Eugenio Suárez, left, winks at Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh, right, as he receives an ovation on deck during the second inning of a baseball game Friday, April 26, 2024, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Zac Gallen throws to a Seattle Mariners batter during the first inning of a baseball game Friday, April 26, 2024, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

Seattle Mariners center fielder Julio Rodríguez catches a fly ball from Arizona Diamondbacks' Gabriel Moreno during the fifth inning of a baseball game Friday, April 26, 2024, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

Seattle Mariners catcher Seby Zavala, left, pours water into the mouth of Mitch Garver after Garver's solo home run during the second inning of the team's baseball game against the Arizona Diamondbacks, Friday, April 26, 2024, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Zac Gallen leaves with a trainer as manager Torey Lovullo, right, stands on the mound during the sixth inning of the team's baseball game against the Seattle Mariners, Friday, April 26, 2024, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

Arizona Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo, left, talks with starting pitcher Zac Gallen, who leaves the game with an injury, while catcher Gabriel Moreno, right, watches during the sixth inning of the team's baseball game against the Seattle Mariners, Friday, April 26, 2024, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

Seattle Mariners' Julio Rodríguez (44) greets Mitch Haniger, who hit a grand slam against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the sixth inning of a baseball game Friday, April 26, 2024, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

JERUSALEM (AP) — The Israeli military said Wednesday that it has reopened the Kerem Shalom crossing into Gaza, a key terminal for the entry of humanitarian aid that was closed over the weekend after a Hamas rocket attack killed four Israeli soldiers nearby.

An Israeli tank brigade seized the nearby Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt early Tuesday, and it remained closed, but that limited incursion does not appear to be the start of the full-scale invasion of the crowded southern city that Israel has repeatedly promised.

The looming operation threatens to widen a rift between Israel and its main backer, the United States, which says it is concerned over the fate of around 1.3 million Palestinians crammed into Rafah, most of whom fled fighting elsewhere. Israel says Rafah is Hamas' last stronghold and that a wider offensive there is needed to dismantle the group's military and governing capabilities.

The U.S. paused a shipment of bombs to Israel last week over concerns that Israel was approaching a decision on launching a full-scale assault on Rafah, a senior Biden administration official said Tuesday.

The U.S., Egypt and Qatar are meanwhile ramping up efforts to close the gaps in a possible agreement for at least a temporary cease-fire and the release of some of the scores of Israeli hostages still held by Hamas. Israel has linked the threatened Rafah operation to the fate of those negotiations.

The Rafah crossing has been a vital conduit for humanitarian aid since the start of the war and is the only place where people can enter and exit. Israel now controls all of Gaza’s border crossings for the first time since it withdrew troops and settlers from the territory nearly two decades ago, though it has maintained a blockade with Egypt's cooperation for most of that time.

Associated Press journalists heard sporadic explosions and gunfire in the area of the Rafah crossing overnight, including two large blasts early Wednesday. The Israeli military reported six launches from Rafah toward the Kerem Shalom crossing on Tuesday.

Gaza’s Health Ministry meanwhile said at least 46 patients and wounded people who had been scheduled to leave Tuesday for medical treatment have been left stranded.

U.N. agencies and aid groups have ramped up humanitarian assistance in recent weeks as Israel has lifted some restrictions and opened an additional crossing in the north under pressure from the United States, its closest ally. But aid workers say the closure of Rafah, which is the only gateway for the entry of fuel for trucks and generators, could have severe repercussions.

The U.N. says northern Gaza is already in a state of “full-blown famine.”

The war began when Hamas militants breached Israel's defenses on Oct. 7 and swept through nearby army bases and farming communities, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting another 250. Hamas is still believed to be holding around 100 hostages and the remains of more than 30 others after most of the rest were released during a November cease-fire.

The war has killed over 34,700 Palestinians, according to Gaza health officials, and has driven some 80% of Gaza's population of 2.3 million Palestinians from their homes. Israel's military campaign has been one of the deadliest and most destructive in recent history, reducing large parts of Gaza to rubble.

Biden has repeatedly warned Netanyahu against launching an invasion of Rafah. But Netanyahu’s far-right coalition partners have threatened to bring down his government if he calls off an offensive or makes too many concessions in the cease-fire talks.

The U.S. has historically provided Israel enormous amounts of military aid, which has only accelerated since the start of the war.

The paused shipment was supposed to consist of 1,800 2,000-pound (900-kilogram) bombs and 1,700 smaller ones, with the U.S. concern focused on how the larger bombs could be used in a dense urban setting, according to the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive matter. The official said no final decision had been made yet on proceeding with the shipment.

Magdy reported from Cairo and Lidman from Tel Aviv, Israel. Associated Press journalists Aamer Madhani and Zeke Miller in Washington contributed.

Follow AP’s war coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war

An Israeli mobile artillery unit fires a shell from southern Israel towards the Gaza Strip, in a position near the Israel-Gaza border, Tuesday, May 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)

Palestinian medics treat a girl wounded in the Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip at the Kuwaiti Hospital in Rafah refugee camp, southern Gaza, Tuesday, May 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Ramez Habboub)

Palestinian medics treat a girl that was wounded in the Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip at the Kuwaiti Hospital in Rafah refugee camp, southern Gaza, Tuesday, May 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Ramez Habboub)

An Israeli flag, top, flies Tuesday, May 7, 2024, near an encampment of tents, behind left, on the Massachusetts Institute of Technology campus, in Cambridge, Mass., set up by MIT students and supporters to protest what they said was the school's failure to call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and to cut ties to Israel's military. The Israeli flags were put in place following the establishment of the tent encampment that was built to demand that MIT condemn Israel's war effort in Gaza. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

Smoke rises following an Israeli airstrike on buildings near the separating wall between Egypt and Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, Tuesday, May 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Ramez Habboub)

Smoke rises following an Israeli airstrike on buildings near the separating wall between Egypt and Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, Tuesday, May 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Ramez Habboub)

Israel reopens key crossing for aid to enter Gaza that was closed over weekend rocket attack

Smoke rises following an Israeli airstrike on buildings near the separating wall between Egypt and Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, Tuesday, May 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Ramez Habboub)

Israel reopens key crossing for aid to enter Gaza that was closed over weekend rocket attack