Eugenio Suarez, Reds strive to keep 'good vibes' going vs. M's

The good vibes started for Eugenio Suarez the minute he walked back into T-Mobile Park in Seattle.

The Cincinnati Reds' veteran infielder received a standing ovation when he was introduced before his first at-bat Monday and shared a hug with Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh at the plate.

Those good vibes continued for Suarez on Tuesday night as he hit a solo homer off old friend Luis Castillo in the fourth inning to help lead the Reds to a 4-2 victory.

The rubber match in the three-game interleague series will be Wednesday afternoon.

This week is Suarez's first trip back to the ballpark in which he hit a deciding grand slam for the Mariners in Game 5 of the American League Championship Series last fall against Toronto. The Blue Jays went on to win the series in seven games, however, preventing Seattle from making its first trip to the World Series.

Suarez signed with Cincinnati as a free agent in the offseason but always will be remembered fondly for his two stints in Seattle and his signature catchphrase, "good vibes only."

The Mariners put together a video montage of his playoff heroics that they showed on the scoreboard Monday.

"Seattle's been nice to me. It's got part of my heart here," Suarez said. "I had a lot of good moments here ... especially last year."

The homer on Tuesday came with Suarez leading off the fourth inning. Castillo tried to sneak a first-pitch fastball past Suarez, but he hit it 405 feet to center field.

"I think I'm going to hear it for the rest of our lives," Castillo said through an interpreter. "We have a really good relationship, so I don't think I'm ever going to forget that one."

Elly De La Cruz and Nathaniel Lowe added solo homers, and Chase Burns pitched five scoreless innings for the Reds. Seattle's Weston Wilson and Julio Rodriguez also went deep.

Mariners manager Dan Wilson spent a few minutes chatting with Suarez before Monday's opener.

"What he's done on the field is remarkable, but what he's done off the field and just what he brought to our clubhouse and what he brings to this game ... he's one of the good people in this game, and you know it goes beyond being a good teammate," Wilson said. "He's got the ability to show up and be the same person every day. I think that's a superpower in this game."

With the Mariners looking for a right-handed power bat before the trade deadline next month, could a third Seattle stint for the 35-year-old Suarez be possible?

"I've been in this situation a couple of times already, and I try not to think too much about it," Suarez said of trade rumors. "I just do my best on the field, try to help my team win games."

Suarez is batting .208 this season, with 13 homers and 37 RBIs.

The series finale will feature a pair of right-handers who were former first-round draft picks in the Reds' Brady Singer (4-9, 4.56 ERA) and the Mariners' Emerson Hancock (6-4, 3.17).

Singer won his last start Friday 7-2 at Colorado when he allowed two runs on four hits over seven innings with no walks and six strikeouts. He's 1-2 with a 3.93 ERA in seven career appearances against Seattle, including six starts.

Hancock didn't get a decision in his last start July 12 at Tampa Bay when he pitched just 1 2/3 innings in Seattle's 8-2 victory after taking a comebacker off his pitching hand. That followed a 4-0 victory July 5 against visiting Toronto in which he allowed just two hits over seven scoreless innings.

Hancock is 0-0 with a 3.60 ERA in one previous start vs. Cincinnati.

--Field Level Media