Erasmo Ramirez pitched 5 1/3 strong innings as the Seattle Mariners defeated the visiting Baltimore Orioles 2-1 Monday night.

Ramirez (2-3) allowed one run on two hits and no walks with five strikeouts as the Mariners opened an eight-game homestand and the first of three with Baltimore.

Four Seattle relievers -- left-hander Zach Duke and right-handers Nick Vincent, Alex Colome and Edwin Diaz -- combined for 3 2/3 scoreless innings, allowing just one hit while striking out seven. Diaz fanned the side in the ninth for his major-league-leading 52nd save of the season.

The Mariners remained 5 1/2 games behind Oakland in the race for the American League's second and final wild-card berth. The Orioles, in last place in the AL East, took their fourth straight defeat and dropped to 16-54 on the road.

The Orioles opened the scoring in the fourth as Jonathan Villar led off by lining a home run off the foul pole in right field against Ramirez. It was Villar's 12th home run of the season, his sixth since joining Baltimore in a trade with the Milwaukee Brewers.

The only other hits the Orioles got were a one-out singles by Tim Beckham in the second inning and Joey Rickard in the eighth.

The Mariners tied it in the bottom of the fourth. With one out, Robinson Cano and Nelson Cruz both drew walks. Ryon Healy then lined a run-scoring single to center to make it 1-1.

Seattle's Cameron Maybin led off the fifth with a triple to right field and scored an out later on a sacrifice fly by Dee Gordon. Mitch Haniger followed with another triple, but Jean Segura lined out to right fielder Adam Jones to end the inning with the Mariners up 2-1.

Maybin had two of the Mariners' five hits.

Orioles left-hander Josh Rogers (1-1), making his second major league start, went 5 1/3 innings. He allowed two runs on four hits and two walks with four strikeouts.

Baltimore right-handers Jimmy Yacabonis and Miguel Castro gave up just one hit in 2 2/3 scoreless innings of relief.

--Field Level Media