By Ryan Divish

The Seattle Times

SEATTLE — The team that had lost six consecutive games and looked lifeless meets the team that had won 27 of 28 games and looked unstoppable.

What happens?

Well, baseball.

Of course, the Seattle Mariners, a team with a pulse near flatline, and on the verge of mathematical elimination beats the hottest team in baseball, the Cleveland Indians, who set a record with a 22-game winning streak and rolled into Safeco Field on Friday night having lost just once in the past 28 games.

Nelson Cruz crushed a two-run walkoff homer in the bottom of the ninth off Indians closer Cody Allen to give the Mariners a 3-1 victory and a little reason to celebrate in a week that hasn’t been much fun.

While Cruz was the hero late, the reason for the victory belonged to starter Erasmo Ramirez.

Facing a potent lineup, Ramirez delivered an exquisite outing — his best since re-donning a Mariners uniform. The right-hander pitched eight complete innings, allowing one run on just three hits with no walks and a season-high 10 strikeouts. The eight innings pitched and 10 strikeouts both tied career highs.

It was just the fourth time this season a Mariners starting pitcher had given the team eight complete innings.

The last starter to do so was Andrew Moore on July 3 against the Kansas City Royals when he allowed three runs in a 3-1 loss. James Paxton tossed eight shutout innings April 15 against the Texas Rangers, while Ariel Miranda allowed one run in a complete-game victory over the Tampa Rays on June 4.

Acquired at the deadline in a trade that didn’t exactly inspire Mariners’ fans, Ramirez has been better than expected for Seattle.

After pitching out of the bullpen for June and July for the Rays, it took Ramirez a few starts to get stretched out to starter’s pitch count. But once he did, he became one of the few healthy starters who could consistently keep the Mariners in games. He’s pitched six innings or more in seven of his last eight outings.

Ramirez’s only run allowed came in the third inning when No. 9 hitter Giovanny Urshela took advantage of a misplaced changeup on a 1-2 count, lifting a fly ball that just cleared the wall in left field for his first big-league homer. From there, Ramirez didn’t allow another base runner, retiring 18 consecutive hitters and exiting to a standing ovation after completing the eighth inning.

Seattle had just one hit over the first five innings — a fourth inning single from Cruz. They picked up two more in the sixth and their first run off him in the seventh. Kyle Seager led off with a double down the right field line and Yonder Alonso followed with a single to right. Third base coach Manny Acta initially held up Seager at third base. However, Jay Bruce misplayed the ball in right field and Seager was able to hustle home to tie the game.