ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- After propelling Seattle back into the lead Tuesday with an eighth-inning grand slam, third baseman Kyle Seager finished off the Tampa Bay Rays in the 10th inning with a solo homer off closer Brad Boxberger to help the Mariners capture a 7-6 victory.

Mariners left-hander Joe Beimel pitched a perfect 10th to secure the win while the Rays suffered their fourth straight setback.

"Did we win that game?" Mariners manager Lloyd McClendon said. "I've been around a long time. This is a first for me in a lot of different respects. There were a lot of weird things that went on in that ballgame. Sometimes it's winning ugly, but you win; that's all that counts."

The Mariners have won four of their past five and five of their past eight games to move within one game of .500 while Tampa Bay's loss dropped the Rays out of first place in the AL East.

Facing a 3-2 deficit in the eighth inning, Seager -- who earlier extended his hitting streak to 14 straight games with an infield single -- smacked the grand slam off Rays reliever Jake McGee to put Seattle ahead 6-3. Seager is batting .400/.426/.756 (18-for- 45) with five home runs and 10 RBIs over that stretch.

"I've faced McGee in the past, and it's certainly not a comfortable at-bat, as hard as he throws," said Seager, who went 3-for-5 to raise his season average to .281. "He goes right at you. There being a guy on third with less than two outs makes it a little bit easier, where you're just trying to get the ball in the air and get a ball out there far enough."

Mariners closer Fernando Rodney, though, allowed the Rays back into the game with consecutive singles by David DeJesus and Brandon Guyer before he hit Joey Butler to load the bases. Evan Longoria doubled off the top of the wall in left to score two runs.

After a pop-out to first by Logan Forsythe and an intentional walk issued to pinch-hitter Asdrubral Cabrera, it appeared the Mariners would escape with a comeback victory when Jake Elmore hit a grounder to Seager, who threw over to second baseman Robinson Cano to start a potential double play. Cano's throw to first, though, was up the line, allowing Butler to score and tie the game.

"I like the way we came back there," Rays manager Kevin Cash said. "We got big hits, they got big hits. Their hits just ultimately out-numbered ours, more timely."

Seattle center fielder Austin Jackson, who was activated off the disabled list earlier in the day, began the game with a line-drive single off Tampa Bay right-hander Alex Colome. He stole second and advanced to third on an errant throw to center before then scoring on a single by right fielder Seth Smith.

A hard-hit ball got past Rays shortstop Tim Beckham to put runners on the corners, and after a popout, a slow roller toward third by Seager plated Smith. On the play, Smith beat the throw home by Colome and slid under the tag by Rays catcher Rene Rivera.

The Mariners were on the verge of sending Colome to the showers when first baseman Logan Morrison walked, but catcher Welington Castillo grounded into an inning-ending double play. Colome needed 38 pitches to escape the first frame with just two runs allowed.

The Rays plated two of their own when they loaded the bases in the bottom half of the inning to set up a two-run single by left fielder Jake Elmore.

In all, the first inning took 45 minutes to complete.

Colome was in line for the win after settling down and finishing his 5 1/3 innings of work by giving up just those two runs.

"Credit Alex Colome for the way he threw the ball given the first inning and how all the scenarios played out," Cash said.

Elmore registered his third RBI of the game with a run-scoring single in the third that plated Beckham.

Mariners starter J.A. Happ allowed three runs and seven hits over six innings.

"When you