Mariners hit 4 homers for 2nd straight game, beat Diamondbacks 5-1

SEATTLE (AP) — Luke Raley and Julio Rodríguez homered for the second straight game — two of four solo shots by Seattle in the first three innings — and the Mariners beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 5-1 on Saturday night behind seven shutout innings from Bryan Woo.

Woo (5-3) allowed only two fifth-inning singles while matching his season high with nine strikeouts in a fifth straight victory for the Mariners — their longest winning streak of the season.

The 26-year-old right-hander did not allow a baserunner until Adrian Del Castillo singled with one out in the fifth, striking out five in a row at one point.

Cooper Criswell allowed a hit in the eighth, and Alex Hoppe issued the game's only walk with two outs in the ninth and then failed to cover home on a wild pitch allowing Geraldo Perdomo to score from second and spoil the shutout.

Raley homered for the 13th time as Seattle grabbed the lead against Ryne Nelson (2-4) in the second. Dominic Canzone hit his sixth homer one out later for a 2-0 advantage.

Rookie Colt Emerson led off the third with his second homer, and Rodríguez followed one out later with his 12th for a 4-0 lead. Rodríguez has 10 homers in May, two more than he’s ever hit in a single month.

Randy Arozarena reached on a two-base throwing error by Jose Fernandez to begin the sixth before scoring on Cole Young's sacrifice fly to make it 5-0, leading to Nelson's exit after 99 pitches.

The right-hander, who had never surrendered more than two home runs in any of his previous 89 starts, allowed five runs — four earned — on seven hits in 5 1/3 innings.

The AL West-leading Mariners (30-29) move above .500 for the first time since they were 3-2.

Seattle hit four home runs in a 7-6 10-inning victory in the opener. The last time the Marisners hit as many as eight homers in the first two games of a series was in 1999 when they had 10 against the Twins.

Diamondbacks RHP Merrill Kelly (5-3, 5.25) was set to start Sunday opposite RHP Bryce Miller (1-0, 2.25) as the Mariners go for the sweep.

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

Seattle Mariners' Julio Rodriguez, right, celebrates with Randy Arozarena (56) after hitting a solo home run during the third inning of a baseball game against the Arizona Diamondbacks, Saturday, May 30, 2026, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Stephen Brashear)

Arizona Diamondbacks starter Ryne Nelson delivers a pitch during the second inning of a baseball game against the Seattle Mariners, Saturday, May 30, 2026, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Stephen Brashear)

Seattle Mariners' Dominic Canzone hits a solo home run during the second inning of a baseball game against the Arizona Diamondbacks, Saturday, May 30, 2026, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Stephen Brashear)

Seattle Mariners' Julio Rodriguez hits a solo home run during the third inning of a baseball game against the Arizona Diamondbacks, Saturday, May 30, 2026, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Stephen Brashear)

Seattle Mariners starter Bryan Woo delivers a pitch during the second inning of a baseball game against the Arizona Diamondbacks, Saturday, May 30, 2026, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Stephen Brashear)

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — When the season ended, and when his team's reign as NBA champions ended along with it, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander tipped his cap.

The Oklahoma City guard — the back-to-back NBA Most Valuable Player — was great in Game 7 of the Western Conference finals. The San Antonio Spurs were greater. And that meant there won't be a repeat champion in the NBA this year.

Gilgeous-Alexander scored 35 points and was his normal brilliant self with an array of mid-range scores, paint attacks, even stepbacks over San Antonio's 7-foot-4 wall named Victor Wembanyama. It wasn't enough and Gilgeous-Alexander made no excuses.

“So many things go into it," Gilgeous-Alexander said when asked about the difficulty of winning a championship — and trying to go back-to-back. "Sometimes it’s like things you can’t control, sometimes it’s things you can control. Yeah, it’s a hard task to do one time, so to do it twice will only make it even more challenging.”

The Thunder played all season to have home-court advantage in Game 7 and got it by two games, winning 64 to San Antonio's 62. But the Spurs beat the Thunder four out of five in the regular season, then got four more out of seven in the West finals. And Oklahoma City, to be fair, was not at its best — with Jalen Williams and Ajay Mitchell out with injuries.

“Not to make any excuses, but they’re a really good team over there," Gilgeous-Alexander said. "And losing Ajay and Dub the way we did in the midst of a series, you would think it would be a lot harder for us.”

Oklahoma City looks like a team that is built to contend for years. So, too, do the Spurs. A rivalry seems very much born.

“Yeah, they’re young, they're talented, well-coached," Gilgeous-Alexander said. “Play the right way, play together, seems like they like each other. They have the makeup, for sure. You don’t beat us without the makeup and they beat us. They have the makeup to go get one.”

The Thunder will have some roster decisions to make and have multiple first-round picks to either use to add talent — or perhaps combine in a trade if they want to move up for a chance to draft a specific person.

Those decisions aren't for Gilgeous-Alexander to make. Canada is hoping he'll play a little bit of World Cup qualifying this summer — basketball's next World Cup is in 2027 — and he'll be looking to add to his game, as elite players always do.

“We just have to take it one day at a time from here on out,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. "Try to get better this summer, be a better team than we were this season — and try to get back over the hump.”

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/nba

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) shoots against San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) in the second half of Game 7 of the Western Conference finals of the NBA basketball playoffs series Saturday, May 30, 2026, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Nate Billings)

San Antonio Spurs guard Dylan Harper (2) battles for a loose ball against Oklahoma City Thunder guard Cason Wallace (22) and guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) in the second half of Game 7 of the Western Conference finals of the NBA basketball playoffs series Saturday, May 30, 2026, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Nate Billings)

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) looks to pass the ball as San Antonio Spurs guard Stephon Castle defends during the second half of Game 7 of the Western Conference finals of the NBA basketball playoffs series Saturday, May 30, 2026, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander walks back to the team bench during the second half of Game 7 of the Western Conference finals of the NBA basketball playoffs against the San Antonio Spurs, series Saturday, May 30, 2026, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

San Antonio Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson, center, talks with Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) as Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault looks on during the second half of Game 7 of the Western Conference finals of the NBA basketball playoffs series Saturday, May 30, 2026, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)