Brewers slide continues with 8-2 loss to Mariners

SEATTLE — Felix Hernandez pitched eight strong innings and Mike Zunino homered and drove in three runs to lift the Seattle Mariners to an 8-2 victory over Milwaukee on Saturday night, handing the Brewers their sixth straight loss.

Hernandez (8-4) gave up two runs and seven hits, striking out eight and walking one to improve to 4-0 in seven starts since coming off the disabled list on July 20. Steve Cishek, who had lost his closer's role, pitched a perfect ninth.

Seattle pulled one game behind Baltimore for the American League's second wild card.

Zunino and Leonys Martin hit back to back homers off Wily Peralta (5-9) to open the bottom of the seventh, stretching Seattle's lead to 4-0.

The Brewers broke through against Hernandez in the eighth on an RBI double by Ryan Braun and a run-scoring single by Hernan Perez.

The Mariners then added four runs in the bottom of the inning, capped by Zunino's two-run double.