LOS ANGELES — Seattle Mariners right fielder Nelson Cruz led all hitters with nine home runs in interleague play in 2014. He is already among the frontrunners for 2015.
Cruz homered twice in Monday’s 6-5 loss to the Dodgers. Cruz went 2-for-4 with three RBIs in the defeat. He has four home runs overall, all of those coming in the past three games
“It’s tough because we wasted a lot of good performances tonight,” said Seattle manager Lloyd McClendon, referring to Cruz’s outing as one of them.
Both home runs came off Dodgers starter Brandon McCarthy. The first one was the 200th of Cruz’s career.
After a single by second baseman Robinson Cano, Cruz drove a 1-2 McCarthy pitch into the seats in right for a 2-0 Mariners lead with two outs in the first inning.
Cruz homered again with one out in the fourth. It was the 14th multi-homer game of his career.
The 34-year-old slugger hit a major league-leading 40 home runs for the Baltimore Orioles last season before signing as a free agent with the Mariners during the offseason.