Grayson Rodriguez dominant as Orioles shut out Mariners 2-0

SEATTLE (AP) — Grayson Rodriguez allowed just two hits over 6 1/3 shutout innings, and Anthony Santander drove in the go-ahead run with a fourth-inning RBI single as the Baltimore Orioles beat the Seattle Mariners 2-0 on Tuesday night.

Rodriguez (10-3) was dominant against Seattle’s struggling offense, retiring the first eight batters and allowing just one hit through five innings. The Orioles have won five of their last six games after dropping five in a row.

The Mariners threatened twice, but Rodriguez got an inning-ending double play off the bat of Jorge Polanco in the fourth inning and struck out Cal Raleigh in the sixth to escape both jams unscathed.

“I thought he threw the ball great," manager Brandon Hyde said. “Really good changeup tonight. That start in Houston didn't go well, but ... he's had four or five really good ones. This was right up there also. Really good job of changing speeds.”

Josh Rojas had both hits for Seattle, a pair of singles.

Gunnar Henderson hit a leadoff single in the fourth against Mariners starter George Kirby, and scored to put the Orioles up 1-0 when Santander hit a one-out single to right field.

“They have a pretty good pitching staff," Santander said. “There are some games we don't win by a homer. As a hitter we have to try to not do too much, especially with runners in scoring position.”

The Orioles, who lead MLB with 139 homers, won without a long ball for the first time since May 31 against Tampa Bay.

Cedric Mullins made it a 2-0 game with an RBI single in the seventh that ended Kirby’s day after 6 1/3 innings. Kirby (7-6) allowed two earned runs on seven hits with five strikeouts and one walk.

Rodriguez also went 6 1/3 innings, with four walks, eight strikeouts, and 19 swings and misses from the Seattle lineup, including nine off his changeup.

“That's kind of the foundation of how I pitch is off that changeup,” Rodriguez said. “If I can get that working, I'm pretty confident I can do anything I want with it.”

Yennier Cano and Cionel Pérez combined for two perfect innings of relief, and Craig Kimbrel pitched the ninth for his 20th save.

Raleigh put a scare into the Baltimore dugout with a booming blast with one on that looked set to tie the game in the ninth, but the ball curved foul.

The loss extended Seattle's losing streak to three games.

“Baltimore has got a good club, we know that,” Mariners manager Scott Servais said. “These games are going to be tight. We've got to figure out a way to get the big hit late, and that's been a struggle for us lately.”

TRAINER’S ROOM

DH/C Mitch Garver (wrist) was still a bit sore on Tuesday after taking a fastball from Joe Ryan off his right wrist in Sunday’s game against Minnesota. Garver was not in the lineup, but took some swings in the batting cage.

ROSTER MOVE

Seattle recalled C Seby Zavala from Triple-A Tacoma, and optioned LHP Jhonathan Díaz … Seattle signed RHP Chris Devenski to a major league contract and assigned him to Triple-A Tacoma. Devenski was released by Tampa Bay on Monday … On Monday, Baltimore activated RHP Corbin Burnes off the paternity list and optioned LHP Matt Krook to Triple-A Norfolk.

UP NEXT

Orioles RHP Dean Kremer (3-4, 4.32 ERA) will pitch Wednesday against Mariners RHP Logan Gilbert (5-4, 2.72).

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

Baltimore Orioles left fielder Colton Cowser fields a fly ball during the eighth inning of a baseball game against the Seattle Mariners, Tuesday, July 2, 2024, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Stephen Brashear)

Baltimore Orioles reliever Cionel Perez delivers a pitch during the eighth inning of a baseball game against the Seattle Mariners, Tuesday, July 2, 2024, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Stephen Brashear)

Seattle Mariners starting pitcher George Kirby, second from right, is pulled from a baseball game against the Baltimore Orioles in the seventh inning by manager Scott Servais during a meeting at the mound with catcher Cal Raleigh, second from left, and third baseman Josh Rojas, Tuesday, July 2, 2024, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Stephen Brashear)

Baltimore Orioles reliever Yennier Cano delivers a pitch during the seventh inning of a game against the Seattle Mariners, Tuesday, July 2, 2024, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Stephen Brashear)

Baltimore Orioles second baseman Jorge Mateo attempts to turn a double play after forcing out Seattle Mariners' Dominic Canzone at second base during the seventh inning of a baseball game, Tuesday, July 2, 2024, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Stephen Brashear)

Baltimore Orioles shortstop Gunnar Henderson, left, and right fielder Anthony Santander celebrate after a baseball game against the Seattle Mariners, Tuesday, July 2, 2024, in Seattle. The Orioles won 2-0. (AP Photo/Stephen Brashear)

Baltimore Orioles relief pitcher Cionel Perez fields a ground ball barehanded during the eighth inning during the eighth inning of a baseball game against the Seattle Mariners, Tuesday, July 2, 2024, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Stephen Brashear)

Baltimore Orioles' Jordan Westburg hits a RBI-single during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the Seattle Mariners, Tuesday, July 2, 2024, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Stephen Brashear)

Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher Grayson Rodriguez, left, and catcher Adley Rutschman walk off the field at the end of the first inning of a baseball game against the Seattle Mariners, Tuesday, July 2, 2024, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Stephen Brashear)

Wall Street was mixed in slow post-holiday trading ahead of the June jobs report, which could influence the Federal Reserve's next interest rate decision.

Futures for the S&P 500 inched up less than 0.1% before the bell Friday and futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell less than 0.1% after the Fourth of July holiday.

The U.S. government will give its comprehensive update about how many workers employers added to their payrolls during June. Traders are watching such numbers closely in hopes that they will show the economy is slowing enough to prove that inflation is under control, but not so much that it will tip into recession.

That would raise the likelihood of the Federal Reserve cutting interest rates that it has been keeping at two-decade highs, which would alleviate pressure on the economy by making borrowing less costly.

Economists believe that employers added 190,000 jobs — a solid gain, though down from a robust 272,000 in May. Job openings have also steadily declined this year. While layoffs remain relatively low, they have risen the past month or so and the number of Americans collecting jobless benefits is at its highest level since late 2021.

The report “will play a crucial role in shaping expectations for near-term Federal Reserve rate cuts," said Anderson Alves of Activ Trades. "Markets currently anticipate a reasonable chance of two rate cuts this year, contrasting with the Fed’s median forecast of just one reduction in 2024."

Tesla picked up another 1.7% early Friday and was on track for its eighth straight winning day after reporting earlier this week that sales fell again last quarter, but not as sharply as many had believed. Its shares are up nearly 36% since June 24.

Elsewhere, shares were broadly higher in Europe after Britain’s Labour Party prevailed over the Conservatives in this week’s national election.

In London, the FTSE 100 initially climbed 0.3% before falling back to no gain. The British pound rose to $1.2786 from $1.2760 late Thursday. The euro rose to $1.0821 from $1.0812.

Britain experienced a run of turbulent years during Conservative rule that left many voters pessimistic about their country’s future. The U.K.’s exit from the European Union followed by the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine battered the economy. Rising poverty and cuts to state services have led to gripes about “Broken Britain.”

Labour leader Keir Starmer faces the daunting task of reinvigorating a stagnant economy and dispirited nation.

Germany's DAX jumped 0.8% after the government agreed on a budget for 2025 and a stimulus package for Europe’s largest economy, ending a monthslong squabble that threatened to upend Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s center-left coalition.

The disagreements had fueled speculation that the already unpopular government could collapse and prompt a snap parliamentary election in which Germany could follow other European countries by swinging toward the political right.

The CAC 40 in Paris rose 0.3%.

In Asian trading, Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 topped 41,000 early Friday but then fell back from Thursday’s record close of 40,913.65. It shed just over 1 point to end at 40,912.37 after the government reported that consumer spending fell 1.8%, more than forecast, in May.

The dollar slipped to 160.66 Japanese yen from 161.26 yen.

Hong Kong's Hang Seng lost 1.3% to 17,799.61 and the Shanghai Composite index gave up 0.3% to 2,949.93. The Shanghai benchmark has been trading near its lowest levels since February.

The Kospi in Seoul jumped 1.3% to 2,862.23 after Samsung Electronics forecast that its operating profit in the second quarter will balloon more than 15 times from a year earlier to 10.4 trillion won ($7.52 billion).

Like Nvidia, Taiwan's TSMC, Tokyo Electron and other computer chip makers, Samsung is benefiting from a rebound in the semiconductor industry as applications using artificial intelligence take off.

Elsewhere in the region, Australia's S&P/ASX 200 slipped 0.1% to 7,822.30. Taiwan's Taiex edged 0.1% higher and the SET in Bangkok was up 0.8%.

U.S. benchmark crude oil gained a penny to $83.87 per barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

Brent crude, the international standard, declined 13 cents to $87.30 per barrel.

Bitcoin tumbled again, falling another 3.8%. The cryptocurrency has already lost more than 13% of its value in the first five days of July and is at its lowest point in months.

FILE - The New York Stock Exchange is seen on Wednesday, July 3, 2024, in New York. Shares advanced Friday, July 5, 2024, in Europe after Britain's Labour Party prevailed over the Conservatives in this week's national election. (AP Photo/Peter Morgan, File)

The New York Stock Exchange is seen on Wednesday, July 3, 2024, in New York. Wall Street is leaning toward minuscule gains before the bell ahead of the Fourth of July holiday. (AP Photo/Peter Morgan)

A passerby walks past an electronic stock board showing Japan's Nikkei 225 index, right, at a securities firm Thursday, July 4, 2024 in Tokyo. Japan’s Nikkei 225 benchmark closed Thursday at a fresh record high of 40,913.65, pushing past its most recent record close set in March. (Kyodo News via AP)

FILE - A person walks past at an electronic stock board showing Japan's stock prices at a securities firm in Tokyo, June 27, 2024. Asian shares were mostly lower on Friday, July 5, after solid gains in Europe overnight, while U.S. markets were closed for the July 4th holiday. (AP Photo/Shuji Kajiyama, File)

FILE - A person walks past at an electronic stock board showing financial indexes including Japan's Nikkei 225 index, green, at a securities firm in Tokyo, June 27, 2024. Asian shares were mostly lower on Friday, July 5, after solid gains in Europe overnight, while U.S. markets were closed for the July 4th holiday. (AP Photo/Shuji Kajiyama, File)