WASHINGTON (AP) — Joey Gallo hit a two-out RBI single to cap a two-run seventh inning and give the Washington Nationals a 3-1 win over the reeling Seattle Mariners on Saturday.
Keibert Ruiz and Jesse Winker had two hits each for the Nationals.
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Home plate umpire Dan Bellino, left, talks with Seattle Mariners manager Scott Servais, center, about a called third strike on Cal Raleigh, right, during the ninth inning of the team's baseball game against the Washington Nationals, Saturday, May 25, 2024, in Washington. Servais was later ejected. (AP Photo/John McDonnell)
WASHINGTON (AP) — Joey Gallo hit a two-out RBI single to cap a two-run seventh inning and give the Washington Nationals a 3-1 win over the reeling Seattle Mariners on Saturday.
Washington Nationals manager Dave Martinez studies his lineup card during the sixth inning of a baseball game, Saturday, May 25, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/John McDonnell)
Washington Nationals' Eddie Rosario cools off with water in the dugout during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Seattle Mariners, Saturday, May 25, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/John McDonnell)
Seattle Mariners left fielder Dylan Moore, bottom, with Mariners center fielder Julio Rodriguez (44) backing him up, dives for a single by Washington Nationals' Keibert Ruiz during the seventh inning of a baseball game, Saturday, May 25, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/John McDonnell)
Washington Nationals' Keibert Ruiz, left, beats the tag of Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh at home plate during the seventh inning of a baseball game, Saturday, May 25, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/John McDonnell)
Washington Nationals' Joey Gallo, left, is tagged out by Seattle Mariners shortstop J.P. Crawford (3) on a steal-attempt of second base during the seventh inning of a baseball game, Saturday, May 25, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/John McDonnell)
Home plate umpire Dan Bellino, left, talks with Seattle Mariners manager Scott Servais, center, about a called third strike on Cal Raleigh, right, during the ninth inning of the team's baseball game against the Washington Nationals, Saturday, May 25, 2024, in Washington. Servais was later ejected. (AP Photo/John McDonnell)
Washington Nationals' Keibert Ruiz hits a sacrifice fly to drive in teammate Luis Garcia Jr. for a run during the second inning of a baseball game against the Seattle Mariners, Saturday, May 25, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/John McDonnell)
Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Logan Gilbert follows through during the second inning of a baseball game against the Washington Nationals, Saturday, May 25, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/John McDonnell)
Washington Nationals' Luis Garcia Jr., left, is safe while stealing second base after Seattle Mariners shortstop J.P. Crawford (3) dropped the ball while making a tag during the second inning of a baseball game, Saturday, May 25, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/John McDonnell)
Washington Nationals starting pitcher Trevor Williams throws during the second inning of a baseball game against the Seattle Mariners, Saturday, May 25, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/John McDonnell)
Five pitchers limited the Mariners to five hits. Dylan Floro (1-0) pitched a perfect seventh inning and Kyle Finnegan worked the ninth for his 14th save.
“Our pitching and defense are keeping us in the ballgame, and now we’re scoring enough runs to win these games," Nationals manager Dave Martinez said.
Julio Rodríguez homered for Seattle, which has lost four straight for the first time this season and has scored one run or less in each of its last three games. The Mariners were held to five hits or fewer for the 14th time this season and struck out 12 times, their 35th time with double digits in strikeouts.
“Offensively, we’ve got to do a little bit more. Talked to the team a little bit afterwards," said Mariners manager Scott Servais, who was ejected for arguing a called third strike against Cal Raleigh in the ninth. "We’re not doing anything consistently offensively and it’s been rough for us the last few days.”
Winker singled against Gabe Speier (0-2) with one out in the seventh and stole second. Dylan Moore couldn't hold Ruiz's blooper to left, putting runners on first and third. Martinez pinch hit switch hitter Ildemaro Vargas for righty Nick Senzel against right-hander Trent Thornton. Vargas was out on a slow grounder to short but Robles, running for Winker, scored and Ruiz, going on the pitch, went to second.
“This guy is tough,” Martinez said of Thornton. "I wanted a left-handed hitter up there. We wanted to try to stay out of the double play, so we got some movement and it worked out.”
Gallo followed with a single to right and Ruiz beat Luke Raley's throw to make it 3-1.
“Just put my face down and run hard," Ruiz said.
The Nationals took a 1-0 lead in the second inning when Luis García Jr. singled and scored on a sacrifice fly by Ruiz. The Mariners tied it when Rodríguez homered to center leading off the fifth.
Mariners first baseman Ty France robbed CJ Abrams of a double with a diving stop and then beat him to first leading off the sixth. Shortstop Abrams returned the favor in the seventh when he made a diving stop of France's smash up the middle and threw France out from his knees.
Washington starter Trevor Williams allowed a run on five hits in five-plus innings. He tied his career high with eight strikeouts.
Starter Logan Gilbert gave up a run on three hits in six innings for Seattle. He struck out four and left after 78 pitches.
“It was smoking hot out here and he's running all over the field today,” Servais said. “Because we have no off days here, our starters, we want to be smart with them and I had a rested bullpen. ... I thought Logan did an awesome job today.”
Floro extended his scoreless streak to 21 2/3 innings, the longest by a reliever in a single season in Nationals history, per Elias Sports Bureau.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Nationals: Martinez said Winker cramped up and should be fine tomorrow. ... RHP Josiah Gray (right elbow/forearm flexor strain) pitched a one-inning simulated game Saturday at Nationals Park, throwing 23 pitches to two batters. He is slated to throw a two-inning simulated game in five days. … RHP Cade Cavalli (Tommy John surgery) threw 47 pitches over four innings in his second rehab outing with the rookie-level Florida Complex League Nationals on Saturday. He struck out eight.
UP NEXT
Mariners RHP Bryan Woo (2-0, 0.57) opposes LHP Patrick Corbin (1-5, 6.29) in the series finale on Sunday. Woo has allowed one earned run or less in each of his three 2024 starts.
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB
Washington Nationals first baseman Joey Gallo, right, hangs onto a wide throw to put out Seattle Mariners Ty France, left, during the seventh inning of a baseball game, Saturday, May 25, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/John McDonnell)
Washington Nationals manager Dave Martinez studies his lineup card during the sixth inning of a baseball game, Saturday, May 25, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/John McDonnell)
Washington Nationals' Eddie Rosario cools off with water in the dugout during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Seattle Mariners, Saturday, May 25, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/John McDonnell)
Seattle Mariners left fielder Dylan Moore, bottom, with Mariners center fielder Julio Rodriguez (44) backing him up, dives for a single by Washington Nationals' Keibert Ruiz during the seventh inning of a baseball game, Saturday, May 25, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/John McDonnell)
Washington Nationals' Keibert Ruiz, left, beats the tag of Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh at home plate during the seventh inning of a baseball game, Saturday, May 25, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/John McDonnell)
Washington Nationals' Joey Gallo, left, is tagged out by Seattle Mariners shortstop J.P. Crawford (3) on a steal-attempt of second base during the seventh inning of a baseball game, Saturday, May 25, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/John McDonnell)
Home plate umpire Dan Bellino, left, talks with Seattle Mariners manager Scott Servais, center, about a called third strike on Cal Raleigh, right, during the ninth inning of the team's baseball game against the Washington Nationals, Saturday, May 25, 2024, in Washington. Servais was later ejected. (AP Photo/John McDonnell)
Washington Nationals' Keibert Ruiz hits a sacrifice fly to drive in teammate Luis Garcia Jr. for a run during the second inning of a baseball game against the Seattle Mariners, Saturday, May 25, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/John McDonnell)
Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Logan Gilbert follows through during the second inning of a baseball game against the Washington Nationals, Saturday, May 25, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/John McDonnell)
Washington Nationals' Luis Garcia Jr., left, is safe while stealing second base after Seattle Mariners shortstop J.P. Crawford (3) dropped the ball while making a tag during the second inning of a baseball game, Saturday, May 25, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/John McDonnell)
Washington Nationals starting pitcher Trevor Williams throws during the second inning of a baseball game against the Seattle Mariners, Saturday, May 25, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/John McDonnell)
MINA, Saudi Arabia (AP) — Muslim pilgrims used the early morning hours Monday to perform the second day of the symbolic stoning of the devil, as noontime summer heat caused heatstroke among thousands wrapping up the Hajj pilgrimage.
The final days of the Hajj coincide with Muslims around the world celebrating the Eid al-Adha holiday.
The stoning of the pillars representing the devil takes place in Mina, a desert plain just outside the city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia. A third stoning is scheduled Tuesday, before the Farewell Tawaf, or circling the cube-shaped Kaaba in Mecca.
The Hajj pilgrimage is one of the Five Pillars of Islam. All Muslims are required to make the five-day Hajj at least once in their lives if they are physically and financially able to do so.
More than 1.83 million Muslims performed Hajj in 2024, slightly less than last year’s figure of 1.84 million, according to Saudi officials.
The Hajj rites largely commemorate the Quran’s accounts of Prophet Ibrahim, his son Prophet Ismail and Ismail’s mother Hajar — or Abraham and Ismael as they are named in the Bible.
The rites have taken place under the soaring summer heat, which is expected to reach 49 degrees Celsius (120 degrees Fahrenheit) in Mecca and the sacred sites in and around the city, according to the Saudi National Center for Metrology.
“Of course, it is something very hard and tiring. The temperature is abnormal compared to the past years and this affects us a lot,” said Ahmed Al-Baradie, an Egyptian pilgrim, after finishing his second symbolic stoning.
More than 2,760 pilgrims suffered from sunstroke and heat stress on Sunday alone at the start of the first round of stoning, according to the Health Ministry. Jordan announced Sunday that 14 Jordanian pilgrims had died from heatstroke.
The number of pilgrims on the roads leading to the pillars Monday morning decreased significantly compared to Sunday.
Carrying an umbrella against the burning sun, Pakistani pilgrim Khoda Bakhch visited the stoning site on Monday morning and planned to return at sunset. “After two or three hours, it (temperature) may be too much," he said.
Security forces, medics and first responders have been deployed in and around Mina, especially on roads and open areas to direct and help pilgrims.
“I am really impressed by the preparations,” Sani Abdullah, a Nigerian, told The Associated Press, adding that he was used to such burning heat in his country. “I have never encountered any problems. Everything is going smoothly.”
Mina is where Muslims believe Ibrahim’s faith was tested when God commanded him to sacrifice his only son Ismail. Ibrahim was prepared to submit to the command, but then God stayed his hand, sparing his son. In the Christian and Jewish versions of the story, Abraham is ordered to kill his other son, Isaac.
The stoning began Sunday, a day after the pilgrims visited the sacred Mount Arafat where they spent their day in worship and reflection. The ritual in Mount Arafat, known as the hill of mercy, is considered the peak of the Hajj pilgrimage.
The pilgrims collected the pebbles, which they have used in the symbolic stoning of pillars, from Muzdalifa, an area located a few kilometers (miles) away from Mount Arafat.
The Hajj is one of the largest religious gatherings on earth. The rituals officially started Friday when the pilgrims moved from Mecca’s Grand Mosque to Mina, then to Mount Arafat. They then return to Mina, where they spend up to three days, each casting seven pebbles at three pillars in a ritual to symbolize the casting away of evil and sin.
While in Mina, the pilgrims visit Mecca to perform a “tawaf,” or circumambulation, which is circling the Kaaba in the Grand Mosque counterclockwise seven times. Then another circumambulation, the Farewell Tawaf, will mark the end of the Hajj as pilgrims prepare to leave the holy city.
Once the Hajj is over, men are expected to shave their heads, and women to snip a lock of hair in a sign of renewal.
Most of the pilgrims then leave Mecca for the city of Medina, about 340 kilometers (210 miles) away, to pray in Prophet Muhammad’s tomb, the Sacred Chamber. The tomb is part of the prophet’s mosque, which is one of the three holiest sites in Islam, along with the Grand Mosque in Mecca and the Al Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.
This year’s Hajj came against the backdrop of the devastating Israel-Hamas war, which pushed the Middle East to the brink of a regional conflict.
The war has killed more than 37,000 Palestinians in the besieged strip, according to Gaza health officials, while hundreds of others have been killed in Israeli operations in the West Bank. It began after Hamas-led militants attacked Israel on Oct. 7, killing about 1,200 people and taking around 250 hostage.
Palestinians in the Gaza Strip weren’t able to travel to Mecca for the Hajj this year because of the closure of the Rafah crossing in May, when Israel extended its ground offensive to the city on the border with Egypt.
Muslim pilgrims cast stones at pillars in the symbolic stoning of the devil, the last rite of the annual hajj, in Mina, near the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Sunday, June 16, 2024. Masses of pilgrims on Sunday embarked on a symbolic stoning of the devil in Saudi Arabia. The ritual marks the final days of the Hajj, or Islamic pilgrimage, and the start of the Eid al-Adha celebrations for Muslims around the world. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)
Paramedics carry a muslim pilgrim for a medical check after he fell down due to a heat stroke at pillars, in Mina, near the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Sunday, June 16, 2024. Masses of pilgrims on Sunday embarked on a symbolic stoning of the devil in Saudi Arabia. The ritual marks the final days of the Hajj, or Islamic pilgrimage, and the start of the Eid al-Adha celebrations for Muslims around the world. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)
A pilgrim prepares to cast stones at a pillar in the symbolic stoning of the devil, the last rite of the annual Hajj pilgrimage, in Mina near the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Sunday, June 16, 2024. Masses of pilgrims on Sunday embarked on a symbolic stoning of the devil in Saudi Arabia. The ritual marks the final days of the Hajj, or Islamic pilgrimage, and the start of the Eid al-Adha celebrations for Muslims around the world. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)
Muslim pilgrims arrive to cast stones at pillars in the symbolic stoning of the devil, the last rite of the annual hajj, in Mina, near the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Sunday, June 16, 2024. The ritual marks the final days of the Hajj, or Islamic pilgrimage, and the start of the Eid al-Adha celebrations for Muslims around the world. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)
Muslim pilgrims arrive to cast stones at pillars in the symbolic stoning of the devil, the last rite of the annual hajj, in Mina, near the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Sunday, June 16, 2024. The ritual marks the final days of the Hajj, or Islamic pilgrimage, and the start of the Eid al-Adha celebrations for Muslims around the world. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)
Muslim pilgrims arrive to cast stones at pillars in the symbolic stoning of the devil, the last rite of the annual hajj, in Mina, near the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Sunday, June 16, 2024. Masses of pilgrims on Sunday embarked on a symbolic stoning of the devil in Saudi Arabia. The ritual marks the final days of the Hajj, or Islamic pilgrimage, and the start of the Eid al-Adha celebrations for Muslims around the world. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)
Muslim pilgrims cast stones at pillars in the symbolic stoning of the devil, the last rite of the annual hajj, in Mina, near the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Sunday, June 16, 2024. Masses of pilgrims on Sunday embarked on a symbolic stoning of the devil in Saudi Arabia. The ritual marks the final days of the Hajj, or Islamic pilgrimage, and the start of the Eid al-Adha celebrations for Muslims around the world. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)
Paramedics carry a muslim pilgrim for a medical check after he fell down due to a heat stroke at pillars, in Mina, near the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Sunday, June 16, 2024. Masses of pilgrims on Sunday embarked on a symbolic stoning of the devil in Saudi Arabia. The ritual marks the final days of the Hajj, or Islamic pilgrimage, and the start of the Eid al-Adha celebrations for Muslims around the world. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)
Muslim pilgrims cast stones at pillars in the symbolic stoning of the devil, the last rite of the annual hajj, in Mina, near the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Sunday, June 16, 2024. Masses of pilgrims on Sunday embarked on a symbolic stoning of the devil in Saudi Arabia. The ritual marks the final days of the Hajj, or Islamic pilgrimage, and the start of the Eid al-Adha celebrations for Muslims around the world. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)
Muslim pilgrims cast stones at pillars in the symbolic stoning of the devil, the last rite of the annual hajj, in Mina, near the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Sunday, June 16, 2024. Masses of pilgrims on Sunday embarked on a symbolic stoning of the devil in Saudi Arabia. The ritual marks the final days of the Hajj, or Islamic pilgrimage, and the start of the Eid al-Adha celebrations for Muslims around the world. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)
