The Mariners made it four in a row Monday when a three-homer barrage backed lefty Ariel Miranda in a 6-1 victory over the Miami Marlins (VIDEO LINK) in Ichiro Suzuki’s return to Safeco Field.
Back-to-back homers by Robinson Cano and Nelson Cruz in the first inning provided Miranda with an early 3-0 lead, and he responded with seven shutout innings.
Three takeaways from Monday’s victory:
***Some middle heat: Cano and Cruz aren’t exactly hot, but they show signs of moving in the right direction. Cano has 11 RBIs in his last eight games, and Cruz has hits in his last seven games.