~ SEATTLE MARINERS 2022 ~
W L % GB
90 72 .556 16.0
𝓈𝓉𝒶𝓎 𝒽𝓊𝓃𝑔𝓇𝓎
𝓈𝓉𝒶𝓎 𝒽𝓊𝓃𝑔𝓇𝓎
? EVER?
My Buddy, Dave Niehaus Welcomes Baseball Back into our lives in a Beautiful way.
"Opening Day, Dave Niehause, Fly, Fly Away! My Oh' My"
That’s our skipper! For the second consecutive season, Scott Servais is a finalist for the AL Manager of the Year Award. #SeaUsRise
Scott Servais Named AL Manager. of the Year Finalist
One Step Closer: J-Rod is a 2022 AL Rookie of the Year Finalist
Cal sends us all to the promised land.
It’s storybook stuff.
We’re not done yet. #EmbraceTheChaos
Mariners React to Clinching Postseason Berth
The Mariners react to the team's first Postseason berth since 2001 while celebrating in the clubhouse after Cal Raleigh's drought-ending walk-off homer run.
Matthew Boyd Gets Emotional Talking About Mariners Postseason Berth
Seattle native Matthew Boyd talks about what it means to be a part of the team that ended the 20-season playoff drought after growing up a lifelong Mariners fan.
Logan Gilbert on Making the Postseason
Mariners starting pitcher Logan Gilbert reacts to the Mariners first playoff berth since 2001 after throwing 8 innings and allowing just one run in the game that ended the drought.
A Historic evening for Albert Pujols! He crushes home runs No. 699 AND 700 for his career!
The first person Albert Pujols embraced after hitting HR No. 700 was Adrián Beltré
Albert Pujols' 700th Career Home Run
698th HR
Congratulations to Albert Pujols on hitting his 698th major-league home run! Pujols was in his rookie season the last time the #Mariners made the #Playoffs. #SeaUsRise #21Years
Albert Pujols Crushes His 698th Career Home Run!
Judge breaks AL HR record, Braves are NL East champions for the 5th straight time |Top Of The Order
Aaron Judge hammers his 62nd home run of the season, breaking Roger Maris' AL single season-record of 61. The Braves clinch the NL East with a win over the Marlins. The Mets' high-powered offense boosts them past the Nats giving them their 100th win of the year. This is the 4th time in franchise history that the Mets have 100 wins
Aaron Judge Breaks AL Home Run Record With 62nd Of The Season!
Judge hits home run No. 60, needs one more to match Roger Maris AL record | Top of the Order
Aaron Judge blasts his 60th homer of the season. Judge is now one of three Yankees to hit 60 home runs in a single season.
🐼 "if the page takes a moment to load, Games go back to July! Thank You for Bearing with me! Enjoy! 🐻
"There are so many kids that grew up in the Pacific Northwest that don't know anything about the Mariners being in the playoffs," Servais said. "And now we get to show them." -
Path to the Postseason: The Mariners are Headed to the Playoffs
Mariners broadcaster Dave Sims on Ending the Drought and the Postseason Ahead
Mariners broadcaster Dave Sims joined MLB Network to talk about Cal Raleigh's walk-off, playoff-clinching homer and what's next for the Mariners as they head to the Postseason.
Sam Haggerty, was placed on the 10-day injured list
earlier Tuesday with a left groin strain that will cause him to miss the first two rounds of the postseason.
Moore was later pulled, underwent X-rays that were negative and should be fine. But it was a microcosmic moment of simply getting to the finish line healthy -- and there’s still one game to clear.
PostSEAson
FRI OCT. 7
FINAL
GAME 162
DET 4 vs 5 SEA
Out for WC, Gonzales still clutch for Mariners
Gonzales empties the tank
Marco Gonzales may be the odd man out for Seattle's 1st postseason since 2001, but he's handled it with grace.
Update: OF Jesse Winker placed on 10-day Injured List (cervical disc bulge)
Ready to Rise
Looking back at Eugenio Suárez's walk-off earlier in the season ahead of the Mariners' Wild Card Series matchup with the Blue Jays.
Ready for more October baseball? #SeaUsRise
photograph me like one of your french girls Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports
Mariners Wrap Up Regular Season With Another Walk-off Win
Ty France came through in the clutch as the Mariners delivered another walk-off win—their four 4th in the past week and their 13th of the regular season.
Geno and Julio have a message for the fans
"We're gonna have all of you guys in our heart, and we're gonna give our best for this city and every single one of you guys." @JRODshow44
SEATTLE -- It wasn’t a postseason assignment, but in the context of how the Mariners need to map out their pitching, what Marco Gonzales contributed during a 5-4 win in Wednesday’s regular-season finale against the Tigers was just as vital.
But before going into the details on the veteran lefty ...
Julio Rodríguez blasted his 28th homer to lead off the first inning, setting a Mariners record for a rookie in his bid to win the AL Rookie of the Year Award and setting a franchise record for most leadoff homers in a season, surpassing Ichiro Suzuki’s five in 2002.
It was Rodríguez’s first homer since Sept. 16, before he sustained a lower back strain that resulted in a 10-day stint on the injured list, a hugely welcome sign after what initially looked like an alarming injury.
If he doesn't have two strikes, it's a completely let-it-eat swing ... This one was in an 0-1 count.
Mitch Haniger, who’d also dealt with lower back problems in September, followed with a 418-foot homer in the first, which gave Gonzales an early cushion.
Because Gonzales won’t be available to pitch on regular rest until Monday at the earliest, at which point the best-of-three round in Toronto will be decided, Seattle’s pitching stalwart won’t be included on the Wild Card Series roster. The Mariners instead will opt for Luis Castillo in Game 1 and Robbie Ray and Logan
Gilbert in some order for Games 2-3.
Mitch Haniger's Solo Homer (11) @M_Hanny17 didn't waste any time
Gilbert would’ve started Wednesday if home-field advantage was still in play, but once that opportunity was eliminated earlier this week, the Mariners opted for Gonzales in this outing, with the hope that he could empty the tank and save manager Scott Servais from using as many bullpen arms.
The Mariners traveled to Toronto postgame and are off Thursday, so allocating as much rest as possible was key, especially after using every reliever but Matthew Boyd during Tuesday’s doubleheader. Catcher Luis Torrens even contributed an inning in the matinee of that two-fer and made history.
Luis Torrens' Two-Run Homer (3)
Luis Torrens clubs a two-run homer to left field
Luis would hit the ball slightly less hard (102 MPH) but this time, the baseball gods would grant him some reprieve, perhaps in recognition of all the hard work he’s put in this series:
This pitch is bad, but Luis? Luis is very good. Carlos Santana was aboard there, making the score 4-3 Mariners.
With Gonzales covering seven innings on Wednesday, Servais only needed to use relievers Paul Sewald and Erik Swanson. Once the postseason begins, Servais said that it’ll be all hands on deck, with relievers needing to be available to pitch three days in a row, a practice they’ve tried to avoid in the regular season. In
that context, what Gonzales contributed -- 106 pitches, his second most in 31 starts this season -- was huge.
“You can’t give him enough credit. ... Very, very cool, and proud to call him a teammate,” said Ty France, who hit a walk-off single.
Ty France's Walk-Off Single
Ty France, who Ty is both good at baseball and also a responsible babysitter, and realized they needed to have Julio on the plane to arrive in Toronto in time for bedtime.
Speaking after the game, wearing his Eugenio “good vibes” tank top, his Perry Hill hat (it has a bone on it), and a plush Mariner-blue robe with the number 23 embroidered on it, France got a little emotional talking about the brotherhood of the 2022 Mariners and what the team means to him. Us too, Ty. Us too.
The Mariners’ rotation order of Castillo, Ray, Gilbert, and potentially George Kirby, should they advance, has been long anticipated, especially after Seattle acquired Castillo to be its front-line starter ahead of the Trade Deadline. But now that the playoffs have arrived and Gonzales faces the reality that, despite being
here through the thick and thin of the rebuild and that he won’t be on the mound in the franchise’s first postseason games since 2001, he’s taken a completely team-first approach.
“To be able to give us a chance to be fresh going into the games, I welcome that,” Gonzales said. “That's a huge role for me, and so anything I can do to put us in a good position going into the playoffs is what I'm here for.”
Even with two solid starts from Gonzales against the Blue Jays this season, both wins, the Mariners are better positioned to advance with their power arms starting against Toronto’s righty-stacked lineup, full of elite sluggers like George Springer, Bo Bichette and Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
Gonzales’ finesse profile is predicated on pitching to weak contact, mostly because he doesn’t possess the elite velocity or spin to overpower hitters, and it’s worked because he’s still found ways to be a valuable big league starter, professing “I’m not sexy” after an outing in May, coincidentally, in Toronto. He finished
the regular season with a 4.13 ERA in 183 innings.
Rodríguez's Leadoff Homer (28)
But his profile also isn’t conducive for a bullpen role, which was a consideration in August after the club acquired Castillo, though the Mariners instead moved Chris Flexen to relief. Now, that quandary arises again ahead of the postseason and a place for Gonzales is unclear.
Yet even if there isn’t a defined role for the veteran this weekend or beyond, he’s still been a key member of the team that ended the drought, a loyal leader and is as important to the multi-year transition as any player on the roster.
“I'm proud to be a part of this team,” Gonzales said. “And whatever that means going forward for me, I'll embrace it and I'll show up and bring some energy for us in Toronto.”
COLD. BLOODED. We’re always fired up when @isaiahthomas is in the house
Mariners Sweep Doubleheader vs. Tigers
The Mariners put up 9 runs thanks in part to homers from Cal Raleigh and Abraham Toro on their way to a win in the second half of a doubleheader vs. the Tigers.
GAME 1
FINAL/10
DET 6 vs 7 SEA
Catcher Torrens takes mound, makes history
Keeping 'pen fresh, backstop 1st Mariners position player to earn pitching win
Seattle got creative with its pitching plans in a twin-bill sweep. That's how catcher Luis Torrens earned a win.
Game Won in the Books
No better way to start a doubleheader than with @MikeMcCreadyPJ @PearlJam
Torrens Pitches 10th for Mariners
Tigers vs. Mariners Game 1 Highlights (10/4/22) | MLB Highlights
Mariners Come Through With Another Walk-off Win
Luis Torrens became the first position player in club history to record as the Mariners won the first game of the doubleheader vs. the Tigers.
SEATTLE -- This penultimate day of the regular season was always going to be a headache for the Mariners.
When the revised schedule was released after the lockout was lifted in March -- which resulted in a delayed start and finish to the regular season -- manager Scott Servais had a hunch that a nine-day stretch with 10 games leading into a hopeful postseason appearance would hamper his roster, particularly pitching-
wise.
Such was the precise case in a 7-6, 10-inning win over the Tigers in the opener of Tuesday's doubleheader at T-Mobile Park, which forced Servais to use catcher Luis Torrens on the mound once the game reached extras. Thankfully for Servais, Abraham Toro ended it in the 10th with a sacrifice fly to score Carlos
Santana, who had just previously ripped a game-tying RBI single to score automatic runner Eugenio Suárez.
Torrens, who allowed only one unearned run while on the mound in the 10th, became the first position player in Mariners history to record a pitching win.
Abraham Toro Walks it Off
Then, in a 9-6 win in the nightcap, Justus Sheffield gave Servais 99 pitches over five innings to help cover as the 29th man appointed to the roster for the doubleheader.
Aside from the stress of mapping out arms, the victories gave the Mariners some clarity on their postseason destination, which will be Toronto for the American League Wild Card Series beginning Friday. With Tampa Bay’s rain-shortened 6-0 loss in Boston, the Mariners locked up the No. 5 seed, one day after the Blue
Jays secured the No. 4 seed and home-field advantage for the best-of-three series.
The Mariners were eliminated from the chance of hosting the Wild Card Series at T-Mobile Park on Monday, and their only chance for home postseason games will be to advance past the Blue Jays to the AL Division Series -- where the AL West juggernaut Astros will await. Games 1 and 2 of that best-of-five series will
be played at Minute Maid Park, and the first opportunity for a postseason game in Seattle would be Game 3 on Oct. 15.
But first, the Mariners have to get there -- and it began with an all-hands-on-deck effort Tuesday, which will continue into the regular-season finale on Wednesday, with pitching preservation squarely at the forefront of mind.
“This is about putting us in the best position to win a playoff series,” Servais said of Tuesday's strategy. “And again, I think you guys know how competitive I am. I want to win every game. But it's about playing the long game here, getting us to that point. So the decisions today are going to be a little clunky.”
Carlos Santana's RBI Single, A Monster Mash in October
Mitch Haniger Hits a Two-Run Home Run
Marco Gonzales is slated to start Wednesday vs. the Tigers and will completely empty the tank to spell as many bullpen arms as possible. As such, Gonzales is not expected to be on Seattle’s Wild Card Series roster, because the soonest he’d be available on regular rest would be Monday, at which point the series will
be over. The Mariners are permitted to adjust their roster after each round.
Gonzales is more stretched out and will likely be available to throw 100 pitches, a threshold Servais said he’d avoid with the other starters in this final turn. It's well beyond the capacity of Chris Flexen, who had a shorter leash given that he was making his first start since Aug. 6 when he took the mound for the twin-
bill opener.
Curt Casali
Curt Casali Clubs a Solo Home Run to Left Field
Flexen, who was admittedly “gassed” by the end of his four innings, allowed three runs (including a two-run homer to Spencer Torkelson), but he achieved precisely what the Mariners hoped.
It’s also why Sheffield was recalled from Triple-A Tacoma and made his first big league appearance since June 18, as well as why Torrens was used once the first game reached extras.
Per MLB rules, position players are only permitted to pitch in games in which a team has a six-run lead or deficit, or in extra-inning contests, unless the player has a two-way designation, such as Angels two-way star Shohei Ohtani.
Servais hinted Tuesday morning that folks tuning into the doubleheader would “see some very unconventional things happen” with Seattle’s pitching, which is exactly what manifested.
“It was always going to be a challenge,” Servais said. “I think any manager's worst nightmare is when you run out of pitching when you have it mapped out, and sure enough, that's what we looked at today.”
Eugenio Suárez Ties the Game at 5 with an RBI Single
Eugenio Suárez, This is CLEARLY a Foul Ball
The Mariners made it through the twin bill mostly unscathed, other than utility man Dylan Moore being hit by a 93.2 mph fastball with the bases loaded in the sixth inning of the nightcap. The moment was a scare, especially after Seattle’s other top bench player, Sam Haggerty, was placed on the 10-day injured list
earlier Tuesday with a left groin strain that will cause him to miss the first two rounds of the postseason.
Moore was later pulled, underwent X-rays that were negative and should be fine. But it was a microcosmic moment of simply getting to the finish line healthy -- and there’s still one game to clear.
Chris Flexen Strikes Out Two
GAME 2
Tuesday Oct. 4
FINAL
DET 6 vs 9 SEA
On marathon day, Mariners take 2 vs. Tigers
Tigers vs. Mariners Game 2 Highlights (10/4/22) | MLB Highlights
Cal Raleigh Smacks a Home Run to Right Field
By Daniel Kramer @DKramer_
SEATTLE -- The Mariners’ proximity to the postseason is so close that it’s only a matter of getting there healthy, which they mostly accomplished after a marathon doubleheader on Tuesday at T-Mobile Park that ended with a 9-6 victory in the nightcap.
Seattle also won the opener, 7-6 -- a 10-inning walk-off victory that featured Luis Torrens becoming the first position player in franchise history to record a pitching win.
Dylan Moore, DMO Puts it Where they Ain't!!
In the finale, the Mariners rode five innings from Justus Sheffield, who was recalled to serve as the 29th man for the twin bill and achieve exactly what he did on a day when manager Scott Servais knew that he’d empty his entire bullpen.
Justus Sheffield Fans Four
At the plate, the Mariners got two massive home runs from Abraham Toro (who went 2-for-4) and Cal Raleigh (who went 3-for-5). Toro, who was recalled from Triple-A Tacoma earlier Tuesday when the club placed Sam Haggerty on the 10-day injured list, is likely to make Seattle's roster for its American League Wild
Card Series against Toronto, given the trickle-down effect from Haggerty’s injury.
After Tampa Bay’s 6-0 rain-shortened loss in Boston went final earlier in the day, the Mariners locked up the No. 5 seed for the postseason, essentially rendering the outcome of their final two games moot. In that context, they’re just trying to get to the finish line in good shape health-wise.
Abraham Toro's Two-Run Homer (10)
“We started the day looking for 54 outs, and we actually needed 57, because we took a little longer in the first game,” Servais said. “I can't say enough about our team. I often say, ‘Our guys like to compete, they know how to compete, they're grinders,’ and games like today are the epitome of that.”
On this day in Ichiro, 2015: Ichiro finally got to pitch in an MLB game Seems fitting for today, yeah?
FINAL
DET 4 vs 3 SEA
Despite off night, Kirby 'ready to go' for postseason
Mariners botch blood sacrifice, lose 4-3
Mariners vs. Tigers Game Highlights (10/3/22) | MLB Highlights
SEATTLE -- As if the night wasn’t already stressful enough for George Kirby -- plagued by three walks, his first homer allowed in 14 starts and diminished spin and velocity on all his pitches -- it was compounded by the bevy of stress pitches that the rookie threw over four traffic-filled innings.
As such, Kirby's outing was halted shorter than he, or the Mariners, would have liked in a 4-3 loss to the Tigers on Monday night at T-Mobile Park, which put his status for the upcoming American League Wild Card Series in a more precarious position.
The loss, coupled with Toronto’s win over Baltimore, secured the No. 4 seed for the Blue Jays, ensuring that they’ll host a best-of-three Wild Card Series that will begin Friday. The Rays also lost, which trimmed the Mariners’ magic number to two to lock up the No. 5 seed, and with it, a trip to face their Canadian
rivals. Regardless, Seattle will be on the road for the entire Wild Card Series.
JULIOOOOOOOOOOO is back, and he made his presence known tonight. DHing and leading off, Julio wasted no time coming off the IL.
Just a cute little groundball single up the middle. Nothing too noteworthy there. Except the exit velocity. 110.1 mph off the bat. I love watching Julio hit. The way he rotates his entire body and puts everything into his swing is mesmerising. Just look at his follow-through.
Standings update: 87-72 (second AL Wild Card spot)
Games remaining: 3
AL Wild Card: The Blue Jays secured the No. 4 seed; the Mariners lead the Rays by 1 1/2 games for the No. 5 seed.
Seeding battle: Tampa Bay owns the tiebreaker over Seattle (5-2).
Julio Rodríguez went 3-for-4 with a 110.1 mph single in the first inning and an RBI double in the seventh in his return from a lower back strain that shelved him on the 10-day injured list -- a hugely hopeful and timely sign with the postseason only days away.
Julio Rodríguez's RBI Double
In his second at bat, he didn’t hit the ball near as hard (78.5 mph) but he did put it exactly where it need to be to take advantage of the Tigers’ positioning and ability.
I personally find these loopers to be cute and fun.
However, the loss of Sam Haggerty to a groin injury with two outs in the ninth inning put an even more sour taste on an already tough night for Seattle. Haggerty, the club’s best baserunner and arguably its most valuable bench piece, was on crutches postgame and will undergo an MRI on Tuesday morning.
“Haggs has had such a great season,” manager Scott Servais said. “He’s kind of like that spark-plug guy -- you fire him in there, and he makes things happen.”
Sam Haggerty Exits with Injury
But back to Kirby. The Mariners have already adjusted their pitching plans for Tuesday’s doubleheader now that home-field advantage is no longer in play, shifting from Marco Gonzales in the matinee and Chris Flexen in the nightcap to Flexen in the early contest and a bullpen game after. That would position Gonzales
to pitch the regular-season finale on Wednesday, or it could be a current Minor Leaguer.
All of it points to Logan Gilbert being skipped and saved for the AL Wild Card Series. And if he earns a starting nod -- along with Luis Castillo and Robbie Ray -- that would likely shift Kirby into a relief role for the series.
“I expect to throw against Toronto. ... I would love to help the team win,” Kirby said. “I’m ready to go.”
The rookie right-hander was behind from the start on Monday, walking Akil Baddoo to lead off the game and finishing with three free passes, tying a season high he set in a start against the A’s on Sept. 22. Two of those walked batters came around to score, accounting for half of his runs allowed, including one on a
two-run homer to Javier Báez in the third that came on a slider way off the plate that was more an outlying example of the slugger’s free-swinging approach.
It was the first homer that Kirby had given up since he yielded four to Baltimore on June 27. Since then -- and before Báez went yard -- Kirby had gone 75 2/3 innings (MLB’s longest active streak), made 14 starts in between, faced 309 batters and threw 1,162 pitches without giving up a long ball.
The slider that Báez connected on was out of the zone, but it also had little movement, a trend for the outing. The spin on the pitch was down 183 rpm from Kirby’s season average to 2,024 rpm, and his curveball saw a 158-point dip to 2,023 rpm. With his four-seam fastball, Kirby experienced a 1.6 mph dip from his
season average, down to 93.8. When he came in the zone with his heaters, he left four up that turned into hits.
“My velo has been down a little bit, but I still feel sharp and I've been making pitches,” Kirby said. “So I'm super excited for what's to come.”
Yet, beyond the command, there were moments where Kirby visibly looked different from his fast-paced self, laboring into three-ball counts four times, battling through 32 foul balls and allowing nine of his 20 batters faced to reach.
In the Pitching side of the good news, let me introduce you to Matthew Boyd’s night. Because of the double header tomorrow, Scott did not want to use many arms tonight. So Boyd got put in for 3 innings of work, and he shoved.
Five strikeouts, just one walk, and no hits in three innings is just about perfect on a night like this. He did it with a fairly simple strategy, but one that worked: high fastballs, middle sliders, low changeups. The changeup was especially good at inducing swings, even when the pitch tracker makes it look lower than the
limbo bar at a contortionist party.
Kirby’s workload management has been well-chronicled for months. On Monday, he reached 156 2/3 innings for the season (including the Minors), more than double his 67 2/3 thrown last year. Now, on the heels of a shaky start to finish a standout rookie season, what to do with his next turn is of intrigue for the
Mariners.
“He'll get some down days and get a chance to kind of recharge his batteries, and he'll be ready for us in whatever role,” Servais said.
Julio Rodríguez has returned healthy to the Seattle Mariners lineup, hitting lead off and DHing. The M’s announced his return as part of a quintet of moves Monday afternoon. The moves in total are as listed below:
Outfielder Julio Rodríguez is activated off the 10-day injured list.
Catcher Curt Casali is activated off the paternity list.
Infielder/outfielder Abraham Toro is optioned to Triple-A Tacoma (a full paper move as Tacoma’s season is complete).
Catcher Brian O’Keefe is optioned to Triple-A Tacoma.
Right-handed pitcher Phillips Váldez was outrighted to Triple-A Tacoma after clearing waivers.
Congratulations to O’Keefe on getting his first career hit, and congratulations to Casali and his wife on the birth of their child. A banner weekend in Seattle baseball cedes to an important four game set with the Detroit Tigers, as hopefully Rodríguez can get in rhythm for the playoffs beginning this Friday.
@themikepenix bringing the heat
FINAL
That's a lot of punch outs
Athletics vs. Mariners Game Highlights (10/2/22) | MLB Highlights
Location for Robbie Ray today was an issue, with nearly all of the hits against him over the plate:
Big chains and a nasty slider... Diego Castillo brings it when he takes the mound #HispanicHeritageMonth
Castillo K's 8 in final outing before WC start
Next stop: Wild Card Series
With his latest gem, Luis Castillo proved he's ready to set the tone for the Mariners when the postseason begins.
Don't stop the party. #SeaUsRise
A's vs. Mariners Game Highlights (10/1/22) | MLB Highlights
Luis Castillo Strikes Out Eight
By Daniel Kramer @DKramer_
SEATTLE -- If last night felt like it’s all becoming very real, consider that the next time Luis Castillo takes the mound after Saturday’s dominant start that led to a 5-1 win over Oakland, it’ll be in Game 1 of the AL Wild Card Series next Friday.
No, the Mariners haven’t formally announced their postseason rotation order, and the opponent and venue are still to be determined before the regular season ends Wednesday.
There’s also a real possibility that it could be right here at T-Mobile Park, though the Mariners will need some help for that to happen. Yet in contrast to the uncertainty of who, when and where, one certainty as the Mariners eye their first postseason game since 2001 is that they’ll likely be doing so behind their prized
workhorse.
Sam Haggerty's Two-Run Single
Standings update: 87-70 (second AL Wild Card spot)
Games remaining: 5
AL Wild Card: The Blue Jays lead the Mariners by 1 1/2 games for first berth; the Mariners lead the Rays by 1 1/2 games for second berth
Seeding battle: Seattle owns the tiebreaker over Toronto (5-2 in the season series); Tampa Bay owns the tiebreaker over Toronto (10-9) and Seattle (5-2)
If all three teams tie: Tampa Bay earns the top spot by owning tiebreakers over both Toronto and Seattle, and Seattle earns the second spot by owning the tiebreaker over Toronto
Making his first home start since signing a five-year, $108 million extension last weekend, Castillo again showed why he’s as key of a piece to this postseason push as any player on the roster. He carved through an A’s club that, despite its last-place standing, had his number in two starts in Oakland since he arrived in
a Trade Deadline blockbuster, striking out eight and retiring each of his final 16 batters.
“I really truly in my heart felt like I [helped] ... get to this goal that they were trying to,” Castillo said through interpreter Freddy Llanos. “But like I say, I’m always positive. It doesn't matter if it's a regular season game or if it's postseason or even a series finale, I'm always going to go up there with a positive
mentality and just give it my all.”
Castillo’s lone blemish came in the first inning, when he surrendered a leadoff single to Tony Kemp, walked Sean Murphy then gave up another single to Jordan Diaz that, aided by an error from left fielder Jesse Winker, led to the A’s only run. And Seattle’s bats immediately responded with a three-spot in the first that
gave Castillo the cushion he needed to go scoreless over his final five innings.
It’s too early for the Mariners to announce Castillo as the Game 1 starter, but manager Scott Servais said this week that they will stay on turn through the regular season finale, which would set up for Castillo, Robbie Ray (who pitches Sunday) and George Kirby (Monday) to start the best-of-three Wild Card Series
next weekend. But there is wiggle room if the Mariners wanted to skip Gilbert’s turn on Wednesday and start him in Game 3 instead.
Carlos Santana's RBI Base Knock
Having one of the best starting staffs in the tournament is a luxury for Servais, especially in a shorter series -- and especially with an arm like Castillo’s to set the tone.
“It's the consistency of your starting pitching,” Servais said. “And you look through the years, the teams that have had sustained success, it’s driven by starting pitching. Way back in my day, it was the Atlanta Braves when they won 14 [division] titles in a row.”
Castillo averaged 97.1 mph on his four-seam fastball on Saturday while topping out at 98.8 mph, riding the heater to half of his strikeouts. The other four punchouts came via his slider, which he landed for strikes when needed and generated out-of-zone chases.
But those weapons were predicated on the two-seamer (also classified as a sinker), the fastball with arm-side run and which he used early in counts.
“The game kind of talks to me and ending on how the batter comes is where I decide what kind of pitch it is,” Castillo said. “The slider and the two-seam fastball that I kind of use to kind of have that movement.”
Castillo’s velocity and movement on his fastballs and spin on his breaking pitches make him as prototypical of a postseason pitcher as there is. And now it’s finally on the horizon.
“His slider is really good. It's a pitch he should probably lean a little bit more,” Servais said. “We saw it today with the movement on his fastball. It's a heck of a combination.”
Brian O'Keefe's First Career Hit
Welcome to the Show, @bjokeefe16!
In 11 starts with Seattle, Castillo has a 3.17 ERA and held hitters to a .226/.286/.350 (.636 OPS) slash line, numbers that were mostly exacerbated by his most recent two starts against the Royals, during last Sunday’s epic collapse, and these A’s, starts over which he gave up a combined nine earned runs in 10
innings.
But he showed in his final regular-season start that, if there were any kinks, he’s firmly back on track.
Honoring some of our most loyal fans Before today’s game, we recognized 90 fans who are celebrating their 25th seasons as Mariners Season Ticket Members!
OTD Ichiro: We made it. On October 1st, 2004, Ichiro recorded his 258th hit of the season, surpassing George Sisler for the all-time record.
'We're here': Mariners clinch first postseason spot since 2001
The long, long wait is over
With one mighty swing, Cal Raleigh sent the Mariners into the postseason for the first time since 2001.
What's next? Mariners postseason FAQ
Seattle is back in the postseason for the first time since 2001. Here's a look at what still has to be decided before the Wild Card Series begins Friday.
SEATTLE -- For all the rain that this lush region of the country accumulates, more than any major U.S. city, there’s been a widespread drought here as equally insatiable as it is intangible. The Mariners, who on their best days can be the most coveted and beloved show in town, have longed to return to that elite
stage, but the drought has weighed down those ambitions, especially as it lingered for two decades.
Manager Scott Servais says he thinks about the drought every day but acknowledges that it comes with the territory, a byproduct of 20 long years seeping into the fabric of an organization to the point where it becomes ingrained in its identity.
And now, the drought is over. A reign is underway in Seattle, and finally, the longest active playoff void in North American professional sports has ended. The Mariners, at long last, are headed to the postseason.
WE’RE HEADED TO THE POSTSEASON. #SeaUsRise
Mariners Clinch a Spot in the Postseason After Epic Walk-off Win
DROUGHT ENDED!! Mariners walk it off to clinch first postseason birth in 21 years!
Cal Raleigh crushed a massive, 406-foot solo homer in a full count with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning that sent Seattle to a 2-1 walk-off victory over the A's on Friday night and into the postseason for the first time since 2001.
Raleigh, pinch-hitting for Luis Torrens, dug out a low-and-in slider from Oakland reliever Domingo Acevedo and sent the tiebreaking shot into the Seattle night, off the Hit It Here Café windows beyond right field. He raised his bat high, turned to the home dugout, then was off and running while the rest of the Mariners
stormed to home plate to mob the burly backstop.
Dylan Moore Get's it Started
One swing ends the drought, and we rejoice Agony and ecstasy converge in T-Mobile Park
Bottom 9. 2 outs. 3-2 count. The moment Cal ended a 21-year drought. How can you not be romantic about baseball?
THE MOMENT
He gritted his teeth, stepped out, adjusted his batting gloves, and stepped back in. Domingo Acevedo threw him the fourth slider of the at bat. Cal was ready for this one.
45,000 fans in the stadium rose.
"The moment when I knew it was fair and then looking at the team and everybody's jumping, it was just crazy," Raleigh said.
Seattle, which entered the day with a magic number of one, clinched an AL Wild Card berth. The club holds the No. 5 seed by a half-game over Tampa Bay and trails Toronto by two games for the top Wild Card spot, the only non-division-winning seed that would host the best-of-three first round next weekend.
Given the weight of the stakes and the wait of the moment, did it live up to everything that the Mariners thought it’d be?
"Yeah, and more," Servais said. "I think with the fact that we're in our ballpark, there's 40,000 people here tonight, it's better than maybe what you can even dream it could be. And it's a testament to our players."
WE'RE GOIN' DANCING
After the Mariners doused themselves with champagne and broke out the cigars in the home clubhouse, the seventh-year manager led a charge back to the field, where he gave a passionate speech to a huge crowd that remained -- capped with an emphatic urging: “Let’s party!”
Scott Servais Speaks to the Fans
"There are so many kids that grew up in the Pacific Northwest that don't know anything about the Mariners being in the playoffs," Servais said. "And now we get to show them."
"Absolutely, I feel like tonight was just a taste," said Logan Gilbert, who logged eight solid innings on Friday to put the Mariners in the position for Raleigh's heroics. "Those fans, they love baseball. They’ve supported us the whole year. We want to be back here next weekend."
Scott Servais Addresses Team After Postseason Berth
Best video ever. #SeaUsRise GO MARINERS!! Let the champagne reign!!!
But they’re thinking even grander than that.
"I do believe this team can go very deep in the playoffs and win a World Series," Servais said. "We’ve got that kind of pitching and defense. And we’ve got the ‘it’ factor -- and that goes a long way this time of year."
Logan Gilbert Hurls a Gem
98 MPH for this eighth inning strikeout of Langeliers.
Throughout the three years of transition that led into the 2022 season, veterans Mitch Haniger and Marco Gonzales, the lone holdovers from the previous regime, have been vocal in the intent of not just getting into the dance, but winning the whole thing.
With a roster packed with elite starting pitching, a bullpen that despite a few hiccups of late has been one of MLB’s best, and a lineup that doesn’t have the star power of other juggernauts but instead wears opposing pitchers out, Seattle possesses the ingredients that are typically conducive for teams that win -- and
advance -- in playoff series.
J.P. "LET'S GO!!!"
Yet even with their talent, it hasn’t been the most seamless or straightforward season. The Mariners scuffled as spring stretched into summer, weighed heavily by their brutal early travel, and it all came to a head when the club dropped to a season-high 10 games under .500 on June 19 and their playoff odds dropped
to 5.3%, per FanGraphs.
Things looked as bleak as could be before they emphatically turned things around, fueled heavily by a 14-game winning streak leading into the All-Star break, tied with the defending champion Braves for the longest this season. But even before the turnaround, most players -- Gonzales especially -- never had doubt.
"It’s the character in the clubhouse, I’ve said it all year," Gonzales said. "I said it in Spring Training. I said it in April, May and June. There were some people that were talking some outside noise. We closed that off. We just believed in ourselves. We knew we had a talented team. We just needed to hit our stride, find
our identity and we found it. We're here."
Pitching has been the club's primary formula, with a rotation that has remarkably avoided an IL stint all season, and a bullpen packed with velocity. But they’ve also been carried by star rookie Julio Rodríguez, who is on the 10-day injured list with a lower back strain but began baseball activity on Thursday and is
expected back Monday.
Rodríguez, who played his way onto the big league roster with an eye-opening Spring Training, has been a symbolic embodiment of the Mariners’ transition from mediocrity, with superstar potential that could make this playoff berth one of many to come.
"The goal here is to be that team that's in this position every year," Servais said, "so we don't have to talk about it like it's a big deal and we’re just used to it. But we’ve got work to do."
After taking their postseason hopes to the final day of last year’s regular season but ultimately coming up short, the Mariners transitioned from surprise darlings to a team with heightened expectations for the first time since at least 2018.
This one’s for you, Seattle. You stuck with us through thick and thin. We couldn’t be happier to celebrate this with the best fans in the world
The club increased spending, bringing in reigning AL Cy Young Award winner Robbie Ray, graduated top prospects Rodríguez, George Kirby and Matt Brash from its then-No. 2-ranked farm system, made a massive splash at the Trade Deadline in acquiring two-time All-Star Luis Castillo and firmly went all-in on ending
this drought.
“I have heard it for seven years,” Servais said. “Every day when I get up in the morning and I drive to work, that’s what’s on my mind. But the goal is winning a World Series. It’s not just to end the drought.”
The labors of a rebuild that began nearly four full years ago have finally paid off. With an aging and expensive roster entering the 2018-19 offseason, Mariners president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto, then the GM, made an uncomfortable yet necessary pitch to ownership to tear down from established veterans,
trim payroll and stock a farm system that ranked dead last in talent by MLB Pipeline. Doing so could create a formula for sustained success.
It included a painful first season in 2019, when a talent evaluation approach led to Seattle using an MLB-record 67 players en route to a last-place finish. The club then suffered a stalled year of player development in 2020 with the cancellation of the Minors season and the MLB schedule truncated to 60 games with no
fans. But it started to turn last year, when the club could taste the playoffs before falling short at the end.
Now, they’re finally here -- and with the way they’re built, they intend to stick around a while.
Thursday Sept. 29
FINAL/11
SEA 10 vs 9 TEX
'Locked in': Mariners' magic number is 1 after walk-off
After first step is accomplished, Seattle will turn focus to securing home-field
Champagne on ice in Seattle
Mitch Haniger and Jarred Kelenic each homered twice and J.P. Crawford walked it off, as Seattle eyes a clinch.
Rangers vs Mariners Game Highlights (9/29/22) | MLB Highlights
Mariners Deliver Another Walk-off Win
SEATTLE -- It’s all down to one.
With a 10-9 walk-off victory over the Rangers on Thursday night at T-Mobile Park, the Mariners are one win or one Orioles loss away from clinching their first postseason berth since 2001, meaning they could punch their ticket as soon as Friday.
J.P. Crawford ripped a single off the glove of Rangers third baseman Josh Jung, just after Dylan Moore had stolen third base on a would-be sacrifice bunt attempt that resulted in a called strike, putting the utility man in position to race home for the winning run.
Moore, who’d led off the 11th with a single up the middle, reached second after Luis Torrens scorched a pinch-hit, opposite-field single. The Mariners also tied it in the 10th after falling behind, when Eugenio Suárez ripped a single that advanced automatic runner Sam Haggerty to third base and Cal Raleigh brought
him in with a sacrifice fly to extend the game.
FULL AT-BAT: J.P. Crawford Walks Off the Rangers in Thrilling Fashion
J.P. Crawford Wins the Game with an RBI Single
Basically, the Mariners put it all together in those fateful sequences by executing their brand of baseball when at their best, in the words of manager Scott Servais “by not trying to do too much.”
“We will end the drought tomorrow,” Servais said. “We’re going to and it’s a beautiful thing, then it’s on to the next goal, and this team has got a lot of high goals.”
Dynamite Double Play
The Very Best Vibes. #SeaUsRise
Magic number: 1 (postseason berth)
Standings update: 85-70 (second AL Wild Card spot)
Games remaining: 7
AL Wild Card: The Blue Jays lead the Mariners by 1.5 games for first berth; the Mariners lead the Rays by a half game for second berth; and the Rays lead the Orioles by 5.0 games for the third berth.
Seeding battle: Seattle owns tiebreaker over Toronto (5-2 in the season series); Tampa Bay owns the tiebreaker over Toronto (10-9) and Seattle (5-2)
“I’ve been waiting for four years for this,” Crawford said. I can’t wait.”
And Mitch Haniger: “I think we’re all pretty excited. We just need to go home and try to get a good night’s sleep, because I know it will probably be tough to fall asleep tonight. I’ve visualized and dreamed about this for a while.”
And Marco Gonzales: “I’ve been thinking about this moment. We’re on the cusp, but the job’s not finished.”
Mitch Haniger Homers Twice
Moreover, the Mariners are inching closer to the possibility of guaranteeing that they host postseason games, which if the regular season ended today would not be the case. The Mariners moved past the Rays into the second AL Wild Card spot, but they still trail Toronto for the No. 4 seed, the only non-division
winning team that will host all games during the best-of-three Wild Card Series. Under the current standings, Seattle would travel to Toronto for that round, with the winner advancing to play Houston.
"When you are playing at home, you can bring something to the fan base here,” Servais said. “It's something that they've been very hungry for for a long, long time. So the focus is trying to host the Wild Card Series and playoff games here."
The heroics from Crawford and Torrens came after Haniger mashed a pair of two-run homers, his first since Aug. 25, and Jarred Kelenic followed with a two-run opposite-field blast in the fourth and a solo shot to the pull side in the sixth that helped overcome a four-spot that Gonzales labored through in a shaky third
inning.
We're Soaaarrrin', Flyyyyin'
Jarred Kelenic's Two Homers
The Mariners have admired Jarred Kelenic's mechanical adjustments and more simplified approach. Prime example: a much less pronounced leg kick here in an 0-1 count that still led to an opposite-field homer.
Yet Seattle’s bats had to take it a step further after its typically lights-out bullpen uncharacteristically surrendered five runs (three earned). The Mariners are now an MLB-best 31-21 in one-run games after leading the league with 33 wins in such contests last year, underscoring their poise in tight games and their
ability to pick each other up.
“Oh yeah, you definitely want to go fight,” Crawford said. “It's a team game. They saved our butts many times before and it's a full circle, kind of. We're locked in right now. It's really fun.”
The Mariners have faced the pressure of the drought throughout this season of expectations, none more notable than a rocky 10-game road trip and a sluggish start to the homestand. Yet now that they’re on the cusp, despite that adversity, the Mariners don’t intend to let up once they’re officially in. No, they want to
celebrate the accomplishment of ending a 21-year void by playing in front of their fans immediately after the regular season ends Wednesday.
“That's the goal,” Gonzales said. “The goal is to hopefully win out and put ourselves in a good position to host. These fans deserve some home postseason games, and we want to give that to them.”
Scott Servais on Walk-Off Win
But they’re also thinking even loftier than that.
“I know that's the goal for a lot of people in Seattle and the Pacific Northwest is to end the drought,” Servais said. “The goal is to get in the playoffs and go deep and win this thing, get to the World Series. We have a team that can do that with the pitching depth we’ve got and kind of how we're wired. So again, we’re
trying to check the first box tomorrow night.”
Steven Bisig-USA TODAY Sports
Steven Bisig-USA TODAY Sports
Wednresday Sept. 28
FINAL
SEA 3 vs 1 TEX
Magic number at 3 after pregame 'show and go'
Servais shakes up typical routine and Mariners snap funk with a victory
Mariners' magic number is 3
Scott Servais shook up the pregame routine and Seattle responded by inching closer to its postseason goal.
Happy Winsday, everyone! #SeaUsRise
Rangers vs. Mariners Game Highlights (9/28/22) | MLB Highlights
Paul Sewald Seals the 3-1 Win
SEATTLE -- As the clock stretched deep into the afternoon on Wednesday, T-Mobile Park was eerily inaudible. There was no batting bubble over home plate for early BP. The roof was pulled over to halt fall’s first rain, and as such, the grounds crew had already completed its duties. The first players to emerge did so
from the visiting clubhouse and not until later.
Bark at the Park
On the heels of another disappointing Mariners loss the night prior, this emptiness was by design. Manager Scott Servais called for a “show-and-go” day, canceling on-field batting practice and most scouting meetings -- other than one team-wide gathering two hours before first pitch -- in order to "relax a little bit."
Hours later, perhaps the tactic paid off -- or maybe it was that the Mariners performed to the capabilities that they’ve shown all year. Either way, they held on to a 3-1 victory that was as needed as it was timely. Elsewhere, and pardon Robbie Ray’s urging to not scoreboard watch, every team that Seattle needed to
lose did: the Orioles in Boston, the Rays in Cleveland, and the Blue Jays on a historic night for Aaron Judge in Toronto.
Magic number: 3 (postseason berth)
Standings update: 84-70 (third AL Wild Card spot)
Games remaining: 8
AL Wild Card: The Blue Jays lead the Rays by 1.5 games for first berth; the Rays lead the Mariners by 1.0 game for second berth; and the Mariners lead the Orioles by 4.5 games for the third berth (plus tiebreaker).
Seeding battle: Tampa Bay owns the tiebreaker over Toronto (10-9) and Seattle (5-2); Seattle owns tiebreaker over Toronto (5-2) and Baltimore (4-2)
For all the admitted pressing that festered inside the clubhouse 24 hours prior -- and the crippling anxiety from those watching outside of it -- the Mariners find themselves firmly on October’s doorstep. On Wednesday, they could be knocking, and as soon as Friday, their soonest night to clinch, they could burst right
through.
Their playoff odds computed through FanGraphs -- which take into account 20,000 computer simulations -- reached 100 percent for the first time all season. No, they haven’t clinched yet, but it’s as close as can be and that’s what Servais’ show-and-go scheme was intended to accomplish.
Here’s what he said pregame: "Everybody knows what the goal is, and the goal is close enough you can grab it. The key is to go grab it; don't wait for it to come to you. And that's what we need to get back to doing. Being aggressive, being on the attack, go grab it."
And postgame: “In talking to a bunch of different people today at different times and the group meeting, we have a good team. And I've said it over and over, the depth of our team and the reason we're good is because we trust one another -- and that's what you're seeing.”
Wednesday’s win was emblematic of how the Mariners play when they’re at their best.
Eugenio Suárez regained his timing en route to a 3-for-3 night with an RBI double that tied the game after the Rangers took a first-inning lead. Mitch Haniger followed with a sacrifice fly and showed a more patient overall approach. Carlos Santana capitalized in the third with a fielder’s choice that drove home another.
The Mariners manufactured five total hits and drew five walks -- exactly their line in Tuesday’s shutout -- but they were able to cash in.
Eugenio Suárez's RBI Double
“Not trying to do too much,” Servais said. “I thought Hani’s at-bats were really good tonight. He didn't get any hits, but you take the walk. If they’re not giving you anything to hit, you just move the line. And that's what we were able to do. That's what we do when we control the strike zone and we're really tough to
pitch against. We wear guys out.”
There were also crisp defensive plays, such as Jarred Kelenic making a catch into the wall that had he missed would’ve led to two runs, Ty France igniting a 5-4-3 double play at third base, a position he hadn’t played in over a year until last week, and Curt Casali connecting with Dylan Moore for an inning-ending
caught stealing.
And there was another strong outing from a starter, despite not having his best stuff early. George Kirby overcame command issues that led to his lone run early and battled through the sixth.
Team meetings are often extrapolated outside the clubhouse in moments of adversity, and perhaps that was the case Wednesday. But just about every player, coach and staff member liked the idea of “doing something different” in the face of trying times.
Most strikeouts in first 24 career games, @Mariners History:
148 -- Michael Pineda
145 -- Félix Hernández
128 -- GEORGE KIRBY
128 -- Logan Gilbert
128 -- Mark Langston
George Kirby's Four Strikeouts, Solid night for @gkirb98
“It's not a clearing of the air,” Servais said. “It's just a discussion you have with people, and when you've spent so much time together. We're together every day for seven and a half months, you have those lulls, but there is a point in time where you have to call a spade a spade, and I guess that's what I did today.
Credit to our players. They really want to win. They want to do something special here. We've had a nice year, but we needed to get it turned and hopefully we turned in the right direction tonight.”
Not only does Andrés Muñoz throw 102 MPH, he also has a nasty slider.
1-2-3 for Andrés Muñoz
Saturday Sept. 24
FINAL
SEA 12 vs 13 KC
Mariners end forgettable trip on low note
A tale of two halves
By the end of the 5th inning, Luis Castillo and the Mariners were ahead 11-2. Then, Seattle gave up 11 runs.
Mariners vs. Royals Game Highlights (9/25/22) | MLB Highlights
By Avery Osen
KANSAS CITY -- This road trip couldn’t end soon enough for the Mariners.
What was already a trip to forget spiraled into losing a nine-run lead in the sixth inning and falling to the Royals, 13-12, on Sunday afternoon at Kauffman Stadium.
Seattle heads home after an abysmal 10-game road trip that took two stars out of the lineup and resulted in seven losses.
“Not a great road trip,” manager Scott Servais said. “Certainly might be an understatement, but this was a tale of two games today. We came out and did a lot of good things offensively and had a commanding lead in the ballgame, and then we let our guard down a little bit and shut it down.”
J.P. Crawford's Two-Run Single
The road trip shut down two of the Mariners’ best players, when Eugenio Suárez (right index finger fracture) landed on the 10-day injured list on Sept. 17, followed by American League Rookie of the Year front-runner Julio Rodríguez (lower back strain) on Friday.
There’s nothing to be done about injuries, but blowing a nine-run lead late in the season is something that the Mariners can only hope doesn’t come back to bite them at the end of the year.
“You just have to flush it out as much as it’s going to haunt us,” shortstop J.P. Crawford said. “The reality of it is you just have to forget about it and remember there are bigger games ahead of us and not dwell on it.”
Robbie Ray Defeats Luke Weaver in Pregame Standoff
Robbie Ray Defeats Luke Weaver in Pregame Standoff
Starter Luis Castillo appears to be the No. 1 for the Mariners after signing a five-year extension on Saturday, but he recently hasn’t been the ace they need with the postseason near.
Castillo gave up five runs over 5 1/3 innings on Sunday, allowing seven hits and three walks while fanning five. This comes after allowing four runs over 4 2/3 innings in his last start against Oakland.
“I feel good physically,” Castillo said. “The thing is it was a long inning [right before] and I was on the bench for most of it and I think that affected me.”
Luis Castillo Fans Five
The next three pitchers -- Matt Festa, Matt Brash and Erik Swanson -- allowed a combined eight earned runs in two-thirds of an inning and allowed Kansas City the most runs the club had scored in an inning since 2004.
“Go back to something we talk about all the time, which is controlling the strike zone, and we gave them an opportunity to come back in the game because we didn’t throw strikes,” Servais said. “The momentum gets going and it’s hard to stop when the ball gets rolling down the hill like that.”
A bright spot in the game was Seattle’s offense and patience at the plate. The Mariners took advantage of lackluster pitching in the fifth inning from the Royals, who walked or hit five batters in that inning alone. Nine Mariners contributed an RBI and Crawford, Ty France and Mitch Haniger all had two apiece.
Mitch Haniger's RBI Single
It was quite the contrast to how much of the road trip went, as the Mariners scored one run in five of their past 10 games.
But it’s not easy to replace two of the best bats in your lineup -- Suárez and Rodríguez -- and expect runs to come as naturally.
Servais gave all indications that Suárez should be back by Tuesday or Wednesday and Rodríguez could return for the final home series of the season.
And with the Mariners in a good spot to still make the postseason, getting back to their style of clean baseball is more important than anything else.
“This was a disappointing loss, but we haven’t played good baseball on this trip,” Servais said. “I talked to the team afterward and told them we’ve got to get back to playing [the] baseball we have all year that has allowed us to be in this position.”
Ty France's Two-Run Single
With 10 home games left in the season, the Mariners are within reach of a playoff berth. If the cards fall right, Seattle could host in the American League Wild Card Series as they sit just 2 1/2 games behind Toronto for that spot.
The silver lining in it all is the Mariners are headed back home and hope to clinch their spot into the playoffs in front of their fans at T-Mobile Park in the next week and a half.
“We’ve got plenty left, there's no question about it,” Servais said. “You can’t let a game like today define our season, and it won’t. We will not let that happen.”
Adam Frazier's RBI Double
Saturday Sept. 24
FINAL
SEA 6 vs 5 KC
Mariners Raleigh around Cal in Wild Card race
Catcher's pair of clutch hits off bench help foil KC, extend Seattle's lead for playoff spot
Cal clutch when called upon
Cal Raleigh came off the bench to launch a tying homer and his double in the 9th aided Seattle in the WC chase.
Got the job done. #SeaUsRise
Photo by Nick Tre. Smith/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Mariners vs. Royals Game Highlights (9/24/22) | MLB Highlights
By Robert Falkoff
KANSAS CITY -- On a night when Mariners manager Scott Servais wanted to give catcher Cal Raleigh some rest, that plan had to be modified.
With Seattle down by two in the sixth inning of Saturday’s game against the Royals, it was Raleigh to the rescue. Raleigh came off the bench to hit a game-tying two-run homer and stayed around for a go-ahead RBI double in the ninth that lifted the Mariners to a 6-5 victory at Kauffman Stadium.
“He’s huge for us,” Servais said. “Behind the plate and at the plate.”
Logan Gilbert had been on a roll, with a 1.57 ERA and a 4/1 strikeout-to-walk ratio over his last six starts. But just as he won Pitcher of the Month for April and then swooned over mid-summer, he followed up his recent hot streak with a bad outing tonight.
The wheels came off early when Vinnie Pasquantino hit a two-run blast in the first inning, but Logan was bad all night, allowing traffic in four of his five innings. Going almost exclusively with his fastball and slider, neither pitch was especially good: it took him to his 30th pitch to collect his first whiff. In contrast,
Logan’s pitches were struck hard seven times tonight.
Logan Gilbert
Indeed, the Mariners were in danger of falling to 2-7 on their road trip before Raleigh entered the game and turned it all around -- evening the series at one game apiece and setting up Sunday's matinee rubber game.
“It was very important,” said Raleigh, who has hit two homers in the series. “Obviously, we haven’t been doing our best lately. For us to get a win tonight and gut it out was big. That’s what good teams do and that’s what playoff teams do. That’s where we want to be.”
Seattle (83-68) picked up a game on Baltimore, which lost 11-10 to the Astros, to go up four in the race for the third American League Wild Card spot. The Mariners managed to take a firm step in the right direction despite leaving 14 men on base against the Royals.
.@TheDaveSimsShow and @heygoldy on the call
Raleigh's Game-Tying HR (25) It’s Raleigh Time
In the sixth inning, with the score at 5-3 Kansas City, Scott Servais executed a line change, pulling righties Luis Torrens and Curt Casali for lefty Jesse Winker and switch hitter Cal Raleigh to hit from the left side. Winker got on base and then Cal hit a ball that left the yard and tied the game at 5-5.
But immediately after, when J.P. Crawford, Ty France, and Mitch Haniger drew back-to-back-to-back walks, the three runners were left on base. It was one of two times that the Mariners would leave the bases loaded. The 2022 Mariners leave the yard; they leave the bases loaded.
JK + J.P. = Tie Game!
Kansas City put some good early swings on Logan Gilbert by attacking his fastball early in counts. That meant Seattle had to make an uphill climb and eventually got where it wanted to go.
Raleigh’s two-run homer was a mammoth 444-foot blast to deep right field with a 112 mph exit velo, according to Statcast, and his winning double was an opposite-field drive to left.
“That’s a long way to hit the ball to the opposite field,” Servais said of Raleigh’s ninth-inning at-bat. “That’s a home run in [most] every other ballpark. Heck of a job by Cal. His timing is really good. He’s seeing the ball and he’s not in a rush.”
Gilbert went five innings and the Royals scored on him in four of those frames. But the Mariners’ bullpen delivered four scoreless innings and that gave Raleigh a chance to be the offensive catalyst for a win after sitting out the first half of the game.
Raleigh’s 25th homer tied Mike Zunino for the most by a Seattle catcher in a season. Zunino hit his 25 in 2017.
But it was the opposite-field double in the ninth by Raleigh that finally enabled Seattle to jump in front and set the stage for Andrés Muñoz to pick up the save.
It’s only been three games, but he has a home run and three doubles so far. Tonight, he hit one of those doubles and an infield single. The latter put him on base to score the winning run in the ninth on a transcendent Cal Raleigh double.
But Kelenic’s night also included an outstanding play in center field, cutting down Vinnie Pasquantino at second base.
I know it’s a small sample, but he finally looks right to me, as if he’s weathered the storm and come out stronger.’
Andrés Muñoz Gets Final Out
“Sometimes people get carried away with trying to do too much,” Raleigh said of his ninth-inning heroics. “Just square it up and the rest will take care of itself.”
OTD Ichiro, 2002: Another of his 200th hits in a season, this time it comes off of Mariner nemesis Jarrod Washburn.
On last Sunday in Ichiro, 2009: I also have to issue a mea culpa here. I had Sunday’s game chart but misread our OTD Ichiro spreadsheet and accidentally put Monday’s in the chart. No big deal really except that it meant omitting one of the most iconic Ichiro moments. So: on 9/18/2009, Ichiro hit a walkoff home
run off Mariano Rivera. This game would have been notable anyway for being the only game ever to feature six of the top 11 Mariners by bWAR (Griffey, Ichiro, Felix, A-Rod, Cano, & Beltre).
Friday Sept. 23
FINAL
SEA 1 vs 5 KC
J-Rod lands on IL as Mariners push for WC spot
Servais says AL Rookie of the Year frontrunner should be ready after 10-day stint
Royals ride wave of young studs, Mariners show up as a bunch of duds, lose 5-1
Who will step up on offense?
With Julio Rodríguez going on the IL with a back issue, Seattle's bats need to heat up in the Wild Card chase.
Game two is set for today at 4:10 p.m. Logan Gilbert on the Hill
Mariners vs. Royals Game Highlights (9/23/22) | MLB Highlights
By Avery Osen
KANSAS CITY -- The fear of Julio Rodríguez heading to the 10-day injured list with a lower back strain is now a reality for the Mariners.
Rodríguez underwent testing on Friday afternoon prior to the start of a three-game series against the Royals at Kauffman Stadium, and he landed on the IL at the most crucial time of the season.
“He’s still a little bit sore today,” manager Scott Servais said prior to his team's 5-1 loss. “It’s on his right side, top of his buttocks area. We’ll see how the findings turn out and go from there.”
This is a major blow for the Mariners, whose lead for the third AL Wild Card spot dipped to three over the Orioles with their 6-0 win over the Astros. Seattle, which also sits 1 1/2 games back of Wild Card co-leaders Toronto (84-67) and Tampa Bay (84-67), has lost six of its past eight games.
“You never know when a player goes on the IL if he’ll be ready to go off there after the 10 days, but all of our trainers and medical professionals think that he’ll be OK at that point,” Servais said after Friday's game. “Not only has he had a fantastic year, but he does so much for our team with his energy and really
leading the charge for our team.”
Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
Erik Swanson Joins MLB Network’s High Heat
Rodríguez’s pain seemed to begin last weekend in a road series against the Angels and then he left Thursday’s game vs. the A’s in the second inning, although the American League Rookie of the Year frontrunner initially wasn’t sure what caused the injury.
“I would say, it’s September,” Rodríguez said at that time. “That’s my best answer to it.”
In a corresponding move, outfielder Taylor Trammell was recalled from Triple-A Tacoma. He has hit four home runs to go with 10 RBIs and 15 runs scored in 41 games this season in the Majors.
Rodríguez is batting .280 and slugging .502, with 24 doubles and 27 homers this season across 129 games. On Sept. 14, he became just the third rookie in AL/NL history to put up a 25-homer, 25-stolen base season -- and he did it in three fewer career games (125) than Mike Trout (128).
Among AL rookies, Rodríguez currently ranks first in home runs (27), second in RBIs (73), first in total bases (251), second in stolen bases (25) and first in bWAR (5.7).
His impact on this Mariners team can't be overstated as Seattle is 9-12 without Rodríguez in the lineup this season and 73-56 with him in it. The 21-year-old leads the team in average, slashing .280/.342/.502 (.844 OPS).
Abraham Toro
This comes at the same time that their leader in home runs and RBIs, Eugenio Suárez, is also on the 10-day IL (right index finger fracture). Suárez appears to be ready to come back once the road trip concludes this weekend.
“Geno looked great today,” Servais said. “I was surprised with how hard he was swinging and letting it go. He should take BP tomorrow.”
It was Cal Raleigh who provided the only source of offense against the Royals in the series opener -- hitting his 24th long ball of the season, a Statcast-projected 396 feet to right field in the second inning. The Mariners have scored just one run five times in their past seven games.
Cal Raleigh's Solo Homer (24)
“Baseball season is a long year and you’re going to have some ups and downs,” Servais said. “We haven't played well on this road trip, no question. We’ve won a couple games when we’ve come out and scored and when we don’t, it’s been one run. You’re not going to win 1-0 on the road.”
The earliest Rodríguez can return is in the final series of the regular season against Detroit. The timing is unfortunate with a playoff berth in reach, and it feels like the Mariners are trying to will themselves into the postseason and end a drought over two decades in the making.
“Things happen and this is when we find out, as a team, you don’t have to try any harder. But we’ve got to have good at-bats, really come together as a team and get it over the hump,” Servais said. “We’ll come out and play a really good game tomorrow, but tonight, I was disappointed we didn’t do more offensively \
because we had some chances early in the game.”
Mariners Roster Moves:
Taylor Trammell, OF, recalled from Triple-A Tacoma.
Julio Rodríguez, OF, placed on the 10-day Injured List (lower back strain).
Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images
On this day in Ichiro, 2010: Ichiro records his 200th hit, making him the first player to reach 10 consecutive 200-hit seasons. The Mariners lose to the Blue Jays on Jose Bautista’s 50th home run, 1-0. FEELS APPROPRIATE.
Thursday Sept. 22
FINAL
SEA 9 vs 5 OAK
Mariners engage Highlander protocol, lose Julio, regain Jarred, win 9-5
A mixed bag but a win is a win, and hopefully a new beginning that sticks for Jarred Kelenic.
Mariners go off script to end road trip with a win
Road trip ends on high note
George Kirby was chased early and Julio Rodríguez exited in the first, but Seattle's offense came through.
Winning 9 to 5, what a way to make a living. #SeaUsRise
Mariners vs. A's Game Highlights (9/22/22) | MLB Highlights
Jarred Kelenic's Solo Homer
Kelenic’s big fly cut the lead to 5-4, and a hustle double on a liner into the gap (off a lefty!) re-tied things on the heels of a Ty France leadoff double.
OAKLAND -- It was a picture perfect day in Northern California on Thursday, ripe for the sky to fall squarely on the Mariners in what’s been a brutal road trip.
Their best player exited during the first inning with lower back tightness. Their most consistent starting pitcher in the second half coughed up five runs and failed to make it out of the third. A loss would yield a sweep to a last-place team and inch their postseason hopes closer to concerning.
But in the latest chapter of resiliency in a season that’s had plenty, Seattle rebounded from its adversity, both micro and marco, en route to a 9-5 win over the A’s.
Julio Rodríguez’s status is uncertain after aggravating the injury that sidelined him for three games last weekend. George Kirby also exited early, with one out in the third inning, but for uncharacteristic struggles and not health. Yet Thursday’s victory encapsulated the type of offense the Mariners have when they’re at
their best, by creating consistent traffic and receiving contributions from players beyond just Rodríguez.
Julio Rodríguez Exits Early
“We have guys that have done different things at different points in the season, but the strength is our team,” manager Scott Servais said. “In saying that, it's leaning on the guy next to you and trusting the guy behind you to pass the baton.”
Thursday was a prime example of Servais’ assertion, which he shared pregame.
Before Rodríguez exited, the rookie led off the game with a 109.1 mph double and was one of six baserunners to reach in the first inning, leading to three runs. Then, after Kirby labored with command and walked three for just the second time in his pro career, Jarred Kelenic swung momentum back in Seattle’s favor
with a massive 427-foot solo homer in the fourth.
But it was the three-spot in the sixth that turned things around for good. Ty France led off with his first triple of 2022 down the right-field line, then Kelenic drove him in with a hustle double to center field that tied the game. Dylan Moore was then intentionally walked and stole his 17th base, which positioned Adam
Frazier to chip a two-run double just barely inside fair territory down the third-base line for two go-ahead runs.
Mariners Tally 9 Runs, Beat A's in Series Finale
Why those moments stood out:
Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
• Kelenic was in a 3-0 count and had the green light. So instead of spitting on a hanging middle-in slider from reliever Kirby Snead, he let it rip and it led to a run.
“Big situation there,” Kelenic said. “[Snead] kind of was just messing with me. I figured that was going to be probably the best pitch I was going to get that whole at-bat. So when I got the green light, I looked for something over the heart of the plate, tried to stay up the middle, and that's what happened.”
Jarred Kelenic's RBI Double, Ties this Game Up!
• Moore is arguably Seattle’s best baserunner other than Rodríguez and Sam Haggerty, and one of its more instinctual players. He noticed Snead’s long stride to the plate and reached standing. Both TV broadcasts didn’t even cut to Moore running because it happened so quickly, and it put him in scoring position for
the next man up to make a play.
“We were just trying to fight,” Frazier said. “Obviously, it’s been a grind the past week or two, so a big situation right there. They walked D-Mo and then he stole a bag, so I knew they were going to come after me.”
• Frazier’s .236 batting average doesn’t stand out, but his 87.4% contact rate (second highest on the team) certainly does. So when he fell into a 2-2 count with two outs and the game tied, he protected and punched a slider way off the plate into the opposite field. The ball had just a 61.2 mph exit velocity and a
17% hit probability, but he’ll take it.
“Especially after swinging at a 2-0 slider, I was like, ‘All right. Just stay inside the ball, hit the ball the other way and do whatever I’ve got to do,’” Frazier said. “That ball was off the plate, but I’m glad I got to it.”
Adam Frazier's Two-Run Double
Adam Frazier double, with a two-out Captain Slapdick special poke to left, featuring a Dave Sims special “yyyeeuuuugh, you’d rather not get tagged there!”
As Servais stood on the mound when relieving Kirby in the third, he told the infielders that “this is going to be a crazy game,” because of the back-and-forth swings and the many bullpen matchups that were oncoming. It was the type of formula not too different from a postseason game, with so many moving parts --
and just about every hitter chipped in.
“You kind of need one of those games,” Servais said. “It’s not by the script. You’re mixing and matching. 'How are we going to run the bullpen? Who is going to come in to hit?' All those things. You get everybody involved and everyone feels a part of it, and then you move forward from there.”
Wednesday Sept. 21
FINAL
SEA 1 vs 2 OAK
Winker's error looms large as bats stay quiet
A’s are food poisoning, Mariners throw up one hit against one of the league’s worst teams, lose 4-1
Mariners test fans’ patience, faith with fourth offensively punchless loss in five games
'We've got to get better'
One defensive mistake was all it took to turn the tide for the Mariners in another tough game in Oakland.
Mariners vs. A's Game Highlights (9/21/22) | MLB Highlights
By Daniel Kramer @DKramer_
OAKLAND -- There was no margin for error for Mariners at the cavernous Coliseum on Wednesday, literally and figuratively, which allowed one defensive miscue to loom large in a 2-1 loss to the last-place A’s.
That error was the latest, and perhaps the most frustrating, for Jesse Winker in what’s been a disappointing first season in Seattle.
"It Happens, Go Get'em Jesse!"
even with Jesse Winker’s glove out in left, the odds of a run scoring here were pretty low.
On Vimael Machín's slicing line-drive into the corner in the seventh inning, the left fielder made contact with the ball but watched it go through his legs and dribble under the wall’s padding in fair territory. Running from first base, Oakland’s Jordan Diaz got the green light rounding third. Winker’s throw then missed
cutoff man J.P. Crawford, who was in shallow left, and instead hit Adam Frazier, who ran all the way from second base then had to throw across his body to the plate.
But by that point, Diaz -- a below-average runner -- had slid past Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh to put Oakland ahead for good.
"I missed the ball," Winker said. "That’s really all I got. I just missed it. I wasn’t expecting that. It just took a weird hop and I missed it."
That sequence broke a scoreless tie, but it wasn't the A's only run in the inning charged to reliever Erik Swanson, who walked Diaz on four pitches before surrendering the double. That frame was enough to prevent Luis Torrens’ pinch-hit solo homer in the eighth from having any impact on the outcome.
"It’s not a difficult play," Mariners manager Scott Servais said. "The ball is off the wall -- catch it and get it in. He wasn’t able to do that. It’s something that we’ll continue to look at. Jesse has played for a really long time and it’s been a struggle for him recently."
The error was a glaring microcosm of where both Winker and the Mariners are with just 14 games remaining and their chances of hosting the Wild Card Series creeping away. Seattle’s grip on the final AL Wild Card spot is four games over Baltimore (plus a tiebreaker), but the club is now 2 1/2 games back of Toronto
for the top spot, which it shared with the Blue Jays before this 1-5 road trip began.
Struggles against teams out of contention would exacerbate any contending team’s frustrations. Yet, even if the Mariners were undefeated on this road trip, it wouldn’t change the reality that every out in October will be vital and the chance to overcome fielding errors, slim. Winker ranks last among MLB outfielders
with -15 defensive runs saved and has been worth -9 outs above average, per Statcast.
Luis Torrens' Solo Home Run (2)
Asked where Winker stands defensively within the Mariners’ roster construction moving forward, Servais said: "I think we know where we’re at. We’ve got to get better."
The Mariners have substituted Winker late in games 12 times in the past month, but only with a lead -- the logic being that his .338 on-base percentage, aided by 80 walks, makes him a potential run-scorer.
"With where we’re at in the season, we have made defensive replacements late in games when we do have a lead," Servais said. “It was a 0-0 game there late. That's a play that typically should be made."
Winker also recognized that his challenges have been costly.
"Obviously I want to help the team win," Winker said. "That's why I'm here. But sometimes you don't. And as much as that is a tough pill to swallow, it's the reality of this game. It's not fun when you're not helping the team win. It's not enjoyable at all."
@RobbieRay, Wicked 88mph Slider...and Sword.
Robbie Ray's Stellar Outing
Cristian Pache leading off the fifth that secured his 200th Strikeout.
Sadly, we know how this story ended.
After an All-Star season in 2021 with Cincinnati, production that prompted the Mariners to acquire him in a Spring Training blockbuster along with Eugenio Suárez, Winker is hitting .216/.338/.339 (.677 OPS) this season. His 217-point dip in slugging percentage from ‘21 is MLB’s second-largest drop
among 168 qualified hitters. After going 0-for-3 on Tuesday, he hasn’t had an RBI since Aug. 19 and has more walks (12) than hits (10) in that stretch.
"This isn't what I come to the field to perform like," Winker said. "I want to help the team win. And as of late, I really haven't been. You just keep running back out there. I believe in myself. It's not a lack of belief, but it's just sometimes these things string together."
Earlier Wednesday, the Mariners recalled Jarred Kelenic from Triple-A Tacoma, another left-handed-hitting outfielder who’s also still looking to find his footing in the Majors this season. Kelenic, the better defender, probably would’ve subbed for Winker if Seattle had a late lead -- and will potentially get more games in
left field moving forward.
"You don't eliminate the past. I'm not running from it," Winker said. "It is what it is. It's the reality of the sport, the reality of this job. It can happen to you in any year. Obviously, you'd prefer for it not to happen in the middle of a playoff push for a team that hasn't been in the playoffs in a minute, but it happens. You
just come back tomorrow. And when it's your turn to play, you play."
Jarred Kelenic returns at last, Mariners recall Luis Torrens as well, option Taylor Trammell, DFA Jake Lamb
Seattle shuffles its bench(?) bats as it prepares for the home stretch
Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
(𝙆𝙚𝙡𝙚𝙣𝙞𝙘 𝙨𝙯𝙣) is Back
Tuesday Sept. 20
FINAL
SEA 1 vs 4 OAK
Mariners know 'we need to finish strong'
Road trip proving a challenge for Seattle, still 5 games up in Wild Card hunt
The path won't be easy
The Mariners are in a good spot in the Wild Card chase, but the job's not done yet: They still have a ways to go.
We are saddened to hear of the passing of baseball great, and former Mariners manager (1980-81), Maury Wills. We send our condolences to his family and friends.
Luis Castillo K's Four
Luis Castillo, Sick 97mph Front Door Two Seamer.
Mariners vs. A's Game Highlights (9/20/22) | MLB Highlights
By Daniel Kramer @DKramer_
OAKLAND -- One day after he played the hero in Anaheim, Carlos Santana led off the second inning on Tuesday with a chopping ground ball that pushed A’s third baseman Vimael Machín to the deepest part of the dirt toward shallow left field, forcing a long throw that, with some "big fella" hustle, allowed Santana to
reach.
He’d go on to score, too, after Sam Haggerty drew a bases-loaded walk five batters later in an inning that looked like the Mariners would put up a crooked number. Yet, when the dust settled on a 4-1 defeat to the last-place A’s, Santana’s infield single wound up being Seattle’s only hit. The Mariners went 0-for-27
otherwise with 11 strikeouts, extending their offensive struggles on this final road trip one day after it looked like they'd turned a corner.
Frustration in his voice, manager Scott Servais spoke tersely after the dust settled. Usually after each game -- even for the more deflating defeats -- he has a lengthy opening statement examining the contest. But Tuesday was different.
"Obviously, not our best effort tonight," Servais said. "I'll take any questions."
Even though center fielder Julio Rodríguez returned to the lineup Tuesday after missing three games with lower back soreness, Seattle is still banged up and was again without catcher Cal Raleigh (sore left thumb) and Eugenio Suárez (fractured right index finger). There are also plenty of kinks among players in the
lineup, with Servais saying over the weekend that the athletic trainers’ room “is about as full as it’s been at any point of the season.”
Sam Haggerty's RBI Walk
Yet, his hope is that the reinforcements seize the opportunity in front of them.
"Guys are dragging a little bit, and that's part of it," Servais said. "I just didn't think we were on it tonight."
Back to the second inning, where the Mariners were unable to take control of the game: after Santana singled, J.P. Crawford reached on a fielder’s choice that should’ve been an easy out, but then Dylan Moore and Abraham Toro each struck out. But Curt Casali walked to load the bases, followed by Haggerty's bases-
loaded free pass ... and it looked like Seattle was in business.
A's reliever Jared Koenig was already warming for left-hander JP Sears, a former Mariners prospect, and Rodríguez was going to be the rookie’s final batter over that 37-pitch inning, per A’s manager Mark Kotsay. But he induced a flyout to escape the jam, then went on to complete the fifth inning and eventually earn
the win.
rough Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images
You never know what’s gonna happen when you bring back Announcer Cam
"We had the chance there early," Servais said. "They created some opportunities for us by not playing good defense and some walks we drew, but we really couldn’t capitalize on the second inning and put a bigger number up there."
Nonetheless, the Mariners still carried a lead and had their workhorse on the mound. Luis Castillo was cruising right along on Tuesday until all of a sudden he wasn’t, and before he could look up, he’d given up a four-spot in the fifth inning and was pulled in a damage-control decision.
Castillo walked Nick Allen in a full count with two outs that put two on, then he attempted to go low-and-away on a changeup to Tony Kemp but went middle-middle instead, and Kemp crushed it for a three-run blast. Castillo then gave up two more doubles and a walk in succession, at which point Servais turned to
the bullpen to stop the bleeding.
What was especially odd about Tuesday's game is that Castillo’s two toughest starts since being acquired ahead of the Trade Deadline have came on the mound in Oakland, both a season-high four-run showings against an offense that entered the day with MLB's lowest batting average (.216) and on-base percentage
(.280), as well as the second-lowest slugging percentage (.346).
The Mariners have MLB’s easiest remaining schedule, all against sub-.500 teams, but they’re just 1-4 at the halfway point of this 10-game weave that began in Anaheim and concludes in Kansas City. They still hold a five-game lead on Baltimore for the final AL Wild Card spot and have 99.2% odds to reach the
postseason, per FanGraphs. But their offensive struggles, especially given the time of year, have become far more pronounced.
"We understand the team that we have and I don't think there's a reason to panic," first baseman Ty France said. "We’re at 81 wins right now. I wouldn’t say we’re comfortable with a Wild Card spot right now. There's still baseball to be played. We need to finish strong, otherwise we won't be where we're at right
now."
There isn’t panic -- there really hasn’t been all season -- but it’s becoming increasingly clear that the Mariners’ postseason push, despite a schedule packed with cellar dwellers, won’t be a cakewalk.
OTD in Ichiro, 1994: Becomes first player in NPB history with 200 hits in a season. The record would stand until 2010, when it was broken by former MLB player Matt Murton, although it’s worth noting that after the league schedule expanded, Murton had 14 extra games in his record-breaking season, a record that
still stands today. To put these numbers in context, Munetaka Murakami, the ascendant young star of the NPB, has as of this writing played as many games as Ichiro did in 1994, 130, and recorded 149 hits.
Monday Sept. 19
FINAL
SEA 9 vs 1 LLA
Santana talks the talk, then walks the walk
Veteran addresses Mariners in midst of losing streak, then mashes two homers
Santana wise and powerful
Carlos Santana, brought in as a veteran presence, spoke to the Mariners pregame -- then mashed two homers.
Ball. Game. #SeaUsRise
Mariners vs. Angels Game Highlights (9/19/22) | MLB Highlights
It required 19 pitches, most of which was spent fighting Ohtani in a 12-pitch battle, but Gilbert emerged victorious:
It should also be mentioned that Gilbert got some pitch count-saving help from Toro on the third out with an able backhanded play:
Gilbert engaged Walter Mode and struck out Ford on three pitches—the slider again, natch—to shut down the Angels.
ANAHEIM -- Early on Monday morning at Angel Stadium, well before a dominant 9-1 victory cleared away the intangibly frustrating haze of a three-game losing streak in the Mariners’ clubhouse, Carlos Santana spoke up.
Health concerns have mounted for the Mariners, with the postseason nearing and their top three home run hitters out of the starting lineup. The division-rival Angels, despite another disappointing season, have been tough opponents for Seattle all year. There wasn’t necessarily panic at the possibility of being swept in
four games, but Santana, the 36-year-old elder statesman who didn’t arrive until June but has made his presence felt, preached the need to stop the bleeding.
Mariners Bust Out The Big Bats
Carlos Santana led the charge with two home runs as the Mariners wrapped up the series finale with a 9-1 victory over the Angels.
Ty France's Three-Run Homer (20)
Santana has been on playoff-bound teams facing late-season adversity before, as well as on young teams sniffing October for the first time. Despite its cliche, “next man up” carried was a significant part of his clubhouse commentary.
Then, the veteran went out and embodied his mantra.
The switch-hitting Santana crushed two homers -- one from each side of the plate, including a grand slam -- and Ty France added a three-run blast to send Seattle soaring back in a positive direction, mathematically eliminating the Angels from postseason contention in the process. Logan Gilbert kept the Halos at bay
by striking out a career-high 11 over six brilliant innings, with just four hits and one walk allowed.
“This is the best time for me in all of my career -- here,” Santana said.
The Mariners have been homering just about as much as any MLB team over the past two months and their offense looks drastically different when they’re leaving the yard consistently. Yet, after Eugenio Suárez fractured his right index finger, Julio Rodríguez suffered lower back tightness and Cal Raleigh jammed his
left thumb -- Seattle's three leading home run hitters, with 31, 27 and 23, respectively -- legitimate unease surfaced over how the Mariners would manufacture the long ball.
Logan Gilbert Strikes Out 11, Got that Dog in Him.
But that was before Santana showed that he, too, can be that kind of hitter. He’s crushed seven homers over his past nine games, and a whopping 15 of his 38 hits since joining the Mariners have gone over the fence. Monday was his fourth multihomer game since the trade, and he dedicated the effort to his mother,
Nuris, on her birthday.
“He’s one of the guys you want on your side, on your team,” Gilbert said. “He brings a ton of energy and obviously what he did today was amazing. It's a huge help for us, and really a spark plug to get us going.”
The Mariners only acquired Santana due to injuries to key contributors. Now, they’re glad they have him to fill those voids again. Back then, it was a right elbow sprain suffered by France that necessitated a first-base reinforcement. Now, it’s Suárez’s third base where a vacancy has come up, which could be filled by
France as soon as Seattle’s upcoming series in Oakland. That would move Santana out of his primary DH duties and back to first.
Regardless, Santana is showing even more value in the batter’s box, over and above what he brings in the clubhouse, which the Mariners have raved about the past three months.
“You can talk all you want, but you’ve got to back it up on the field, too -- because that's what really gets guys' attention,” Mariners manager Scott Servais said. “Carlos has just been fantastic.”
Good Start from J.P. Crawford and Ty France
Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
Monday's clubhouse collab was a prime example of Santana’s leadership.
He recounted a late-September stretch in 2016 when he was with Cleveland and the club lost star pitcher Carlos Carrasco to a broken right hand that ended his season. In spite of external doubters, the team went to Game 7 of the World Series. In '13, also with Cleveland, Santana was part of one of the game’s
younger rosters, which surprised opponents on its way to an AL Wild Card berth. Sound familiar?
“This is me. This is my personality,” Santana said. “I try to help the younger guys, I try to help my team win the game. This is what I say all the time: ‘Seattle has great talent, but we need to play together and think about winning the game and making the playoffs.’ That’s why Seattle brought me here, to help the
younger guys.”
Santana sports a slash line of .186/.288/.436 (.724 OPS) since the trade, with a low batting average and on-base percentage underscoring the fact that at times, his approach on offense is boom or bust. But he’s also shown a knack for coming through in huge moments, notably in tense wins over the
contending Yankees and Blue Jays earlier this year.
And at a time where Seattle needs all the offense it can get with key players sidelined, Santana stepped up in a big way on Monday.
Haggerty's Slick Catch Ends Game
Sunday Sept. 18
FINAL
SEA 1 vs 5 LLA
Mariners enduring bumpy stretch: 'We've got to get it going'
Adam Frazier's RBI single accounted for all of the offense as the Mariners dropped the series to the Angels.
Logan Gilbert takes the hill in today's series finale at 1:07 p.m.
Mariners vs. Angels Game Highlights (9/18/22) | MLB Highlights
By Daniel Kramer @DKramer_
ANAHEIM -- Scott Servais never calls it a “streak” until it’s at least three games. Win, lose, good or bad, in the eyes of the Mariners’ manager over the marathon MLB season, it’s never a trend until it happens thrice in a row.
And after Sunday’s 5-1 defeat to the Angels, the Mariners found themselves fitting that criteria in an increasingly frustrating manner. Seattle lost three straight games for the first time since being swept at home by Houston immediately out of the All-Star break, yet that skid came on the heels of their 14 wins in a row
that catapulted the club back into contention.
Photo by Jonathan Moore/Getty Images
Their most recent three-game losing streak before that? The well-chronicled series in late June against these all-too-familiar Angels -- the low point of their season, just before they emphatically turned it all around. Perhaps coincidentally, those were the most recent instances in which the Mariners scored one run or
fewer in consecutive games, as they did on Saturday and Sunday.
“We just haven't played that well, like we're capable of,” said Servais. “Part of it has been they've shut us down offensively, but we've got to get it going. It's just where we're at."
The alarm certainly isn’t sounding like it was back in June; the Mariners still hold a playoff spot and have MLB’s easiest remaining schedule. But momentum has shifted some since they embarked on their final road trip of the season, going from sole possession of the top AL Wild Card spot to the final seed in the
standings while seeing their cushion over Baltimore, the first team on the outside looking in, shrinking to four games with 17 to play.
“We just need to keep going,” said Marco Gonzales, who pitched 6 1/3 innings. “We need to get a couple guys healthy, just string together some good games here. We feel good with where we're at. We've been battling, showing up and competing. It’s what we do.”
Marco Gonzales K's Four
It’s all about context, and the Mariners’ starting lineup on Sunday was without their top three home run hitters -- Eugenio Suárez and Julio Rodríguez, who are nursing injuries, and Cal Raleigh, who was scheduled off but pinch-hit in the seventh inning. Rodríguez said pregame that his lower back tightness is not
significant and that he’ll return after “a few days’ rest.” Suárez’s fractured right index finger is the more pressing concern.
Mitch Haniger returned after missing four games, but he was stymied by a bevy of breaking balls from slider specialist Reid Detmers, then the Angels’ relievers -- as were the rest of the Mariners’ hitters, for that matter. It’s been a theme of the series, continuing after a dominant effort by reigning AL MVP Shohei
Approximately 10,005 years ago (8/7/2017), the Mariners traded Rengifo and Anthony Misiewicz to Tampa Bay in exchange for Ryan Garton and Mike Marjama. Mike Marjama is a really good dude, but I’d understand if Rengifo took this trade as an insult. To his immense credit, rather than choosing violence, he’s
instead decided to get his vengeance on the field. For the second time this series, he hit two homers today.
Those home runs put the game at 3-1 in the third inning, and the score wouldn’t budge much after that.
Ohtani the night prior.
The Mariners plated their lone run in the second, when Dylan Moore ripped a 99.7 mph double to the left-field warning track, then Adam Frazier dropped a perfectly placed RBI blooper into shallow left field. Other than that, Detmers gave up just two hits and two walks over six innings.
“The Angels are one of the more aggressive teams in throwing the offspeed, certainly the breaking ball, in the league,” Servais said. “We have not done a very good job of adjusting to that, and we've seen it from a number of their pitchers.”
That put Gonzales on a tightrope and compounded some frustration given that, stuff-wise, he and the team were satisfied with his execution. Yet he was tagged for five runs via a season-high-tying three homers, two of which came on decent pitches. Halos leadoff man Luis Rengifo, who might be approaching Mike
Trout as Seattle’s toughest Angels out, hit two; seven of his 15 this season have come against Seattle.
Rengifo’s success on Sunday was a microcosm of this season-long matchup. Even though the Angels are way out of contention, will be watching the postseason from home and have nothing to play for but pride, they’ve proven to be perhaps the most pesky division opponent for a Mariners club that has far grander
plans for October. Sunday’s loss was Seattle’s 10th against the Halos this year, ensuring that the club will finish with a losing record against their division rivals.
The more urgent affair is the streak they’re now on -- and ensuring that it comes to a screeching halt.
Friday Sept. 16
FINAL
SEA 1 vs 2 LLA
Banged-up Mariners dominated by Ohtani
Suárez hits injured list and Rodríguez is scratched right before loss to Angels
Mariners on Bumpy Road Trip
With two stars sidelined, the Mariners lost, despite George Kirby going toe to toe with Shohei Ohtani.
Eugenio Suarez Update:
You’ll notice that Eugenio Suarez is missing, and that’s because he’s been sent to the 10-Day IL with a broken finger. According to Scott, the best case scenario is that he’ll be available in 10 days to DH, but he definitely cannot throw the ball right now.
This sucks so so so much, especially in this part of the year. The silver lining is that possible me and the other Toro Truthers may get to see our bull with some late season hero moments.
Back at it Today at 1:07 p.m.
Mariners vs. Angels Game Highlights (9/17/22) | MLB Highlights
By Daniel Kramer @DKramer_
ANAHEIM -- When it rains, it pours. Even in Southern California.
On a night when their top run-producer was placed on the 10-day injured list with a fractured finger and their best player was a last-minute scratch due to lower back tightness, a 2-1 loss to an Angels club going nowhere added insult to literal injury, even if Seattle was the victim of a spectacular start from Shohei
Ohtani.
Kiyoshi Mio-USA TODAY Sports
In that context, perhaps it was a perfect storm for a tough defeat given how hamstrung Seattle’s lineup was -- without Eugenio Suárez and Julio Rodríguez -- and how dominant Ohtani has been in his bid to win the AL MVP Award in back-to-back seasons.
“Our guys, they compete really hard,” Mariners manager Scott Servais said. “They're into the game. We’ve got a little adversity thrown our way. We know that, so we need other guys to step up.”
The Mariners arrived at Angel Stadium on Saturday knowing that Suárez would be sidelined at least 10 days, but Rodríguez’s development was a new issue. The AL Rookie of the Year Award favorite was scratched 30 minutes before first pitch after experiencing lower back stiffness when warming up in the cage.
Rodríguez was receiving treatment postgame and was not immediately available, and his situation is day to day, per Servais.
“He was down in the cage, waiting for the game like he always does, getting ready for the game and it grabbed him,” Servais said. “He did not feel good about it, so that was why he was a late scratch today.”
Suárez has been the Mariners’ best bat since August, but Rodríguez had taken that mantle in September, entering Saturday with a .392/.475/.784 (1.259 OPS) slash line and six homers in 13 games this month. Both absences were felt, while Ohtani twirled seven shutout innings with just three singles and one walk
allowed. None of the baserunners reached second base.
Scott Servais on Shohei Ohtani's wide-ranging slider tonight: "He just changed the shapes. ... The focus on Ohtani is you've got to get the ball up. He throws 100 mph, but he doesn't [have to]. He gets you out with all the sliders."
The do-it-all Ohtani also had an RBI double in the first inning off George Kirby that caromed off the left-field wall and over Jesse Winker’s head to score Mike Trout, who’d just ripped a single and scored from first base.
The only other blemish against Kirby was a leadoff walk -- his biggest pet peeve -- in the fourth to Ohtani, who came around to score what wound up being the decisive run. Other than that, Seattle’s rookie was again superb over six strong innings, allowing just two other hits after the pair from Trout and Ohtani in
the first and striking out eight.
“I hate those,” Kirby said of the leadoff walk. “Just to start off the innings, it’s always a lot harder on yourself, so that’s why I really stress no free bases. ... I feel like they always come back to bite you in the butt.”
All the while, “chaos ball,” which Seattle revitalized at this very venue one month ago, was in the works after Ohtani departed in the eighth. Taylor Trammell blasted a 442-foot solo home run, Abraham Toro followed with a ground-rule double and J.P. Crawford walked. But Ty France hacked at a first-pitch slider from
Jaime Barría, away and out the zone, that chopped right into a 1-4-3 inning-ending double play, then the Mariners went quietly in the ninth.
Taylor Trammell's Solo Smash (4) @Taytram24
Exit velo: 112.3 mph Launch angle: 31° Distance: 442 ft. Hang time: 5.7 seconds
“There are two or three at-bats in every game where it really comes down to it,” Servais said. “At-bats where you're on defense or you’re in the box that could really tip the game one way or another. You’ve got to win two out of three of those. There are three every night. You got to win two out of three, and we
weren't able to do it tonight.”
So, instead of riding momentum from a positive homestand, all against contending teams, the Mariners are two games into their final road trip, all against teams way out of it, still seeking a victory.
ROOT SPORTS Gameday Tour
Learn how live TV is made in this unique behind-the-scenes ballpark package! http://Mariners.com/Auction
Friday Sept. 16
FINAL
SEA 7 vs 8 LLA
Durable Suárez's Injury could Pose Problems for Mariners
Suárez exits with injury
Eugenio Suárez hurt his right index finger. Here's how that might impact Seattle in the home stretch.
Road Games, then Home Games... Don’t miss a moment of the @Mariners’ final regular season homestand, Sept. 27-Oct. 5!
http://Mariners.com/SingleGame
Mariners vs. Angels Game Highlights (9/16/22) | MLB Highlights
By Daniel Kramer @DKramer_
ANAHEIM -- The grimace on Eugenio Suárez’s face was an all-encapsulating representation of the pain that the Mariners’ most durable player felt after suffering an injury to his right index finger on Friday -- and the distress that his potential absence could cause if he’s sidelined for an extended period.
Suárez’s exit in the fifth inning made the frustration of an 8-7 loss to the Angels sting even more -- especially given that, separate from his situation, the defeat largely came at the hands of defense and pitching, which have been Seattle’s best attributes.
Suárez sustained the injury on a chopping groundout to end the fourth inning, then the issue became more pronounced when swinging during a four-pitch at-bat in the fifth, which culminated in an inning-ending popout. He showed visible discomfort when taking a swing-for-the-fences, first-pitch hack with two
runners on, then he grabbed his right wrist in pain while running to first base on the flyout.
Here's the play where Eugenio Suárez suffered the injury ... the late hop clipped his right index finger:
Suárez attempted to continue, but the pain became too significant moments after when taking infield grounders, at which point he shouted in frustration and shortstop J.P. Crawford called for athletic trainers.
X-rays were “inconclusive,” per manager Scott Servais, and Suárez will undergo more imaging on Saturday.
Eugenio Suárez is exiting this game immediately after a 5th-inning popout, showing obvious pain with his right wrist.
“Obviously, I feel uncomfortable. ... I couldn’t grip my bat 100 percent, so when I took my first swing, that bothered me a lot,” Suárez said. “That’s why I had to get taken out of the game, because we wanted to see what happened. That’s all I have right now. I tried to make that throw, but it was bothering me. The
swelling doesn’t make me throw very comfortably, so that’s why I came out of the game.”
The Mariners fell two games behind Toronto (with whom they hold a tiebreaker) for the second AL Wild Card spot and are a half-game ahead of Tampa Bay, which holds the third and final spot (and the tiebreaker with Seattle). Big picture, the Mariners are still in great shape to reach the postseason, but their health
status is far from ideal -- especially with the schedule dwindling now the potential loss of Suárez, who’s been one of MLB’s hottest hitters the past six weeks.
Eugenio Suárez left after the fourth and final pitch of an eventual pop out, but he showed pain after swinging on the first pitch of the at-bat.
In 40 games since Aug. 1, Suárez has hit .246/.352/.616 (.968 OPS) with 15 homers, tied with AL MVP favorite Aaron Judge -- who is having a historic homer season -- for MLB’s most in that stretch. They’ve been huge, season-swinging blasts, too, none more than last weekend’s walk-off over the defending
champion Braves, underscoring how valuable Suárez is in the middle of the order.
“It is concerning, no doubt,” Servais said. “Geno has been so huge for us, on both sides of the ball.”
JULIOOOOOOOOOOOO!
Julio Rodríguez's Leadoff HR (27)
Leadoff Dingers this Season. #JulioROYriguez
Making matters worse is that the veteran and clubhouse leader is arguably the player that the Mariners can least afford to lose. His vastly improved defense has made him one of Seattle’s most dependable players, and playing in a club-high 142 of the team’s 143 games has made him one of the most reliable.
“It is frustrating,” Suárez said. “I want to be there helping my team and help the guys that believe in me. I just want to play every day. But this thing, I don’t have any control. This thing happened during the game, and hopefully I’ll be back soon.”
Ty France's Two-Run Home Run (19)
Servais and Suárez didn’t want to speak conclusively on the issue until after more testing was done, but Servais did say that the club will add a taxi squad from Triple-A Tacoma, which is playing in nearby Las Vegas. There could be multiple players taxied in to account for catcher Cal Raleigh (who has a sore left thumb
injury after sliding into first base on a groundout on Wednesday) and Mitch Haniger (who took early BP and ran the bases Friday but missed his second straight game with lower back soreness).
If Suárez misses time, Jake Lamb, who went 0-for-4 with four strikeouts while playing right field for Haniger on Friday, is their first backup at third, as it is the veteran’s original position. But utility man Dylan Moore went 1-for-4 to begin a rehab assignment with Tacoma on Friday and could be a candidate if healthy.
Carlos Santana Hits Two Home Runs
If there’s an overall roster trickle down, Jarred Kelenic and Kyle Lewis could be options. Catcher Luis Torrens was a late scratch for Tacoma in what was likely a just-in-case decision on Raleigh’s status.
Either way, a Mariners club that, for most of the first half, struggled in large part due to injuries suddenly has more health concerns than it’d like -- especially with just 19 games to play.
Wednesday Sept. 14
FINAL
SDP 1 vs 6 SEA
History made: J-Rod is fastest to 25 HRs, 25 steals
21-year-old becomes 1st player in MLB history to join 25-25 club in debut season
Julio Rodríguez became the first player in MLB history to hit 25 homers and steal 25 bases in a debut season.
Lindsey Wasson-USA TODAY Sports
In a club all his ownJulio
Rodríguez became the first player in MLB history to hit 25 homers and steal 25 bases in a debut season.
Mariners win! #SeaUsRise ¡Ganaron los Marineros! #SubeLaMarea
Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images
SEATTLE -- Julio Rodríguez’s epic rookie season has reached record territory.
Seattle’s star center fielder swiped his 25th stolen base during the fifth inning of the Mariners' 6-1 win in the series finale against San Diego on Wednesday afternoon, which, coupled with his 26th homer -- which he pummeled in the first inning -- made him just the third rookie in MLB history with a 25-25 season. He
also became the fastest player to 25 homers and 25 steals (125 games) in an MLB career, topping Mike Trout's record of 128.
Julio didn't waste any time today. #SeaUsRise Julio no gasto ni un segundo hoy. #SubeLaMarea
Rodríguez Hits 18 HRs in Final
Rodríguez's Leadoff Home Run (26)
J-Rod, Geno and Santana Go Yard as Mariners Roll Past Padres
Rodríguez joined the D-backs’ Chris Young (2007) and Trout ('12) as the only rookies to reach the milestone, but those two did so having debuted the year prior. That makes Rodríguez the first player to achieve the feat in his first year outright.
“I don't see myself as a rookie,” Rodríguez said. “I see myself as a player like anybody else, and I'm just happy to be able to deliver for the team."
Rodríguez was in position for stolen base No. 25 by reaching first base after taking a 91.2 mph fastball off his right pectoral muscle from Mike Clevinger. In obvious pain, he was examined by Mariners head athletic trainer Kyle Torgerson and manager Scott Servais, but he remained in the game and took off just two
pitches later.
Lindsey Wasson-USA TODAY Sports
“It’s like he’s playing wiffleball.” Skip was impressed with another strong Luis Castillo outing.
“La Piedra” #SubeLaMarea
Día de la Herencia Hispana @MLBDominicana x @MLBVenezuela #SubeLaMarea
The speedster dialed his sprint speed up to 30.0 feet per second -- right at the elite threshold and well above the league average of 27 -- reaching second base in just 3.82 seconds while sliding headfirst. Rodríguez has a 29.7 average sprint speed this season, tied for 14th fastest in MLB this year.
After reaching, the Mariners paid tribute to the accomplishment on the T-Mobile Park scoreboard, at which point Rodríguez thumped his chest and acknowledged the crowd, brandishing his arm across the team nameplate on the cream-colored jersey that read "Marineros" in honor of Hispanic Heritage Day.
“Everything I do, every single stat I put up, I just do it for the team,” Rodríguez said. “I feel I'm not trying to put myself above anybody. I just want to be able to perform for the team."
[BREAKING] Mariners, Julio Rodríguez 1st player in MLB history hit 25 HRs & 25 steal in debut season
MLB Network "Impressed" by Julio Rodríguez makes more history as Mariners dominate Padres 6-1
“It’s fantastic to watch a young player take off like that, as talented as he is,” Servais said. “But for me, one of the coolest things I've seen in a while is when he's standing at second base after 25th stolen base, and the crowd's on its feet, and they put the thing on the scoreboard, and he flashes across his chest -- it's
about the Mariners. That's Julio Rodríguez.”
#CarlosSantana Homers (15) on a fly ball to center field. @JRODshow44 scores #TyFrance scores
L
indsey Wasson-USA TODAY Sports
¡Carlos Santana con un jonrón de 3 carreras!
Not done yet
Rodríguez was on his way to the milestone earlier in the game, taking off from first base in the second inning, but he was doubled up on an infield lineout by Ty France. Had France not swung, Rodríguez likely would’ve reached in time.
It seemed like an inevitable benchmark given the way Rodríguez had been running and homering in the first half, but it took maybe longer than most envisioned after he slowed his roll on the basepaths in the second half. He ranked third in MLB with 22 stolen bases before the All-Star break, but he has just three
since, and part of that is by design.
• Rodríguez jammed his right wrist on a headfirst slide in the final game of the first half, an injury that was exacerbated after competing in the Home Run Derby and forced him to miss the first four games of the second half. There’s always a risk in steal attempts, given their bang-bang nature, and Rodríguez has been
more cognizant of that.
“We want to be smart,” Servais said earlier this season. “He’s a really important part of our team. He will continue to steal bases. It’s just not going to be with reckless abandon like it was early on.”
LETS GOOOOOOO Julio Rodríguez Talks Win, Homer
• The book, so to speak, is now out on Rodríguez. Virtually no one, including Servais, knew how fast he was entering this season, which allowed him to exploit that strength with no scouting reports on his speed. That’s obviously changed.
“When Julio gets on base, he gets every [pitcher’s] quickest time, because they know he’s our biggest threat to steal bases,” Servais said.
Servais said that Rodríguez always has the green light, and that he’ll still run when the opportunity presents itself. So there is some calculus as to why his numbers are down -- but as Wednesday showed, he’s still a huge threat to steal, and now, there’s historical context to back it.
Rodríguez is the frontrunner for the AL Rookie of the Year Award with many statistical accolades, plus the fact that he’s been arguably the best player on a team on pace to reach the postseason.
Julio Rodriguez and LasMayores
Todo Amor
Logan Gilbert Strikes Out Five Padres in his Start
VMFH Mariners Routine Check-Up: Cal Raleigh
It’s Cal Raleigh’s turn to check up with Dan “The Man” Wilson in the latest installment of Virginia Mason Franciscan Health Mariners Routine Check-up.
Eugenio Suárez on MLB Network
Seahawks legend Geno Smith, as called by Mariners legend Dave Sims
FULL INNING: Mariners Win In Dramatic Fashion
Sunday Sept. 11
FINAL
ATL 7 vs 8 SEA
Braves vs. Mariners Game Highlights (9/11/22) | MLB Highlights
CRAZY ENDING IN SEATTLE!! Mariners Get 2 Homers to Win after Braves Score 5 to tie in 9th!!
By Daniel Kramer @DKramer_
SEATTLE -- From the deepest depths of despair to the most exhilarating euphoria, the Mariners rode an unhinged roller coaster of emotions over an electrifying ninth inning on Sunday, which culminated with an 8-7 walk-off win over the Braves.
It had anguish. It had gloom. But, according to their 21-year-old star rookie, it never had doubt.
Julio Rodríguez crushed a game-tying homer off Kenley Jansen, then Eugenio Suárez followed with a walk-off blast to catapult the Mariners to their most thrilling victory yet, immediately after Seattle’s lights-out bullpen put them in peril by surrendering five runs with two outs in the top of the ninth.
The Mariners went from cruising to a dominant win over first-place Atlanta all afternoon, to being soberly reminded why the Braves are the defending World Series champions, to back on top in one of the most topsy-turvy ninth innings seen in MLB this season. Throw in the sold-out crowd of 45,245, and that these
two teams are on a fast track to the postseason, and Sunday’s matinee had all the ingredients of an October instant classic.
“That’s a playoff game right there,” said Marco Gonzales, who spun six brilliant innings. “That’s how we need to treat that.”
Marco Gonzales Strikes Out Five
To reach the highest of highs, the Mariners had to descend to the lowest of lows.
Atlanta was down to its final strike in a full count with two outs despite reliever Diego Castillo walking his first two batters, but Michael Harris II sent just about all of Seattle into code red with a 433-foot moonshot that might warrant him early consideration for the Home Run Derby here next summer.
Mariners manager Scott Servais then turned to Paul Sewald, perhaps later than most anticipated, but Sewald -- despite numerous crises averted -- gave up a line-drive single to Eddie Rosario and the would-be dagger, a two-run blast by Robbie Grossman into the right-field bleachers that pushed the Braves ahead. It
was the first time since a June 21, 2011, loss to the Nationals in which the Mariners’ bullpen had a four-run lead with two outs in the ninth inning and then gave up five or more runs.
Sewald, who’s been one of the AL’s best leverage relievers the past two years, was deflated -- but the position players quickly quelled him in the dugout.
"Every single guy said the same thing: 'You've saved us 25 times this year. Every once in a while, it's OK for us to save you,’” Sewald said. “So I'm very appreciative of the fact that they hit those two homers in the ninth."
Mariners Epic Walk-off Secures Series Win Over Braves
Coming up clutch! Julio Rodríquez tied things up in the bottom of the ninth with a solo shot and then Eugenio Suárez walked it off to lock down a series win against the defending World Series Champions.
Julio and Suarez Go Deep in the 9th
Even for a club that thrives in late-innings thrillers, if self doubt crept in, it went unseen -- especially for Rodríguez, who despite the despair flashed his megawatt smile while running in from center field ahead of his fateful at-bat.
What gave him such conviction that the Mariners would so dramatically pull through?
“Because I believe in this team,” Rodríguez said. “I feel like everybody comes in every day to put the work in. I feel like everybody is always doing the best for the team. I feel like we compete and we just show up. I feel like we have the chance, we have the guys to compete against anybody, and that’s why I was
confident that we’d be able to come through in that last inning, because I know what we’ve got on this team.”
In a 1-1 count against Jansen, a three-time All-Star with 57 games of playoff experience, Rodríguez saw a hanging slider and didn’t miss, connecting for a whopping 117.2 mph shot off the left-field scoreboard -- the highest exit velocity on a Mariners homer since Statcast began tracking in 2015.
“Every time he’s on base, we have a chance to score,” Suárez said. “I swear, I told everybody: ‘If Julio gets on base, we’ve got a chance to win this game.’ It just happened. Like I always say, everything Julio is doing is special.”
Rodríguez's Leadoff Homer (24) JRODshow44 Coming up CLUTCH. #SeaUsRise
Rodríguez might be the Mariners’ best player, but Suárez has been their hottest of late. Both homered twice on Sunday, and Suárez has hit four in his past four games and 10 in his past 22, none bigger than the walk-off, just the second of his career, both this season.
Also in a 1-1 count, Suárez pummeled a low-and-in fastball into the home bullpen and sent T-Mobile Park into a seismic shake, putting a bow on arguably the biggest win of the season -- so far.
“I know what I can do,” said Suárez, who lived up to his mantra of ‘Good Vibes Only.’ “I trust myself and I just come here to enjoy the game. It doesn’t matter the situation. I’ve been around a little bit, and I’ve learned that from guys like Miguel Cabrera and Joey Votto. Keep calm, and that’s what I try to do every day.”
Eugenio Suárez's Solo Homer (29)
There are 22 games remaining and the drought is nearing an end, barring an epic collapse. But just how likely is a spiral at this point, especially after a gut-check victory over the defending champs that screamed, “We belong.”
These Mariners are showing that they’re a playoff-caliber team, and Sunday was the best example why.
Saturday Sept. 10
FINAL
ATL 1 vs 3 SEA
Kirby shows off ace potential
George Kirby dazzled in a duel with NL Cy Young contender Max Fried as Seattle evened the series.
Tell a friend... Mariners WIN! #SeaUsRise
Braves vs. Mariners Game Highlights (9/10/22) | MLB Highlights
“Probably the best feeling,” he said with a little grin, talking about that two-seamer."
But it wasn’t just the two-seamer Kirby had working tonight as he flexed over a powerful Atlanta lineup.
A little September Swaggerty magic Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images
SEATTLE -- In a season in which his teammate is the distinct frontrunner for the AL Rookie of the Year Award, George Kirby might be putting together a sneaky bid himself.
The 24-year-old on Saturday completely dominated the defending World Series champions over six-plus brilliant innings, putting Seattle on his shoulders en route to a 3-1 victory over Atlanta in front of a nearly sold-out crowd at T-Mobile Park. He surrendered just three hits and walked none, extending his streak of
not allowing more than one walk in all 21 of his career starts.
It was the type of environment that fans in this region have craved for years, and Kirby -- a newcomer to these parts -- delivered in a huge way, elevating his candidacy for a potential postseason rotation.
“It's kind of always in the back of your head,” Kirby said about pitching in October. “But the best thing to do is just take it one game at a time. That's what I think we're doing a really good job of -- not looking to the future and really focused on the game.”
Kirby unloaded his entire five-pitch arsenal against the righty- and power-heavy Braves, but his two-seam fastball stole the show. Despite generating just six total whiffs against one of MLB’s best fastball-hitting teams, when Kirby reached two strikes, he went for the jugular.
His two-seamer, which he began throwing just two months ago, accounted for three of his six strikeouts -- and they all had a unique finish: front-door action to Robbie Grossman, a freeze for a backwards K to Vaughn Grissom and last-minute movement against Ronald Acuña Jr. to get the superstar swinging over it.
FIRED UP!!!
OUR HOUSE Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images
Another Stellar Outing for @gkirb98
I truly believe the surge in crowd noise shouting “let’s go Mariners” fueled Muñoz here:
“I’m just getting more confident with it,” Kirby said. “I’m able to move it on both sides now. It’s just been a really good weapon.”
Kirby already wowed Mariners manager Scott Servais with his confidence in Spring Training, but the tangible results -- especially with a new pitch -- have skyrocketed that self conviction.
“It's like his little toy in his pocket,” Servais said of the two-seamer. “You know what I mean? Or a secret weapon, whatever you want to call it. His ability to [say], ‘If I execute here, I know if I throw this pitch, I got him.’ That's a nice feeling to have.”
Making his outing more impressive was who Kirby opposed -- and ultimately outdueled -- from the opposite dugout: NL Cy Young Award candidate Max Fried, whose only runs surrendered came via solo homers from Sam Haggerty and Eugenio Suárez. The Mariners became the first team to homer twice off the All-
Star in a single game over his 27 starts this season.
Eugenio Suárez's Solo Homer (28) No. for No.
Kirby, meanwhile, hasn’t been taken deep since June 27 against Baltimore, a span of 11 starts, 58 2/3 innings and 236 batters faced. Only one of the 17 batted balls against him on Saturday was hit harder than 100 mph.
“You just can’t be scared,” Kirby said of facing a Braves squad that homered four times on Friday. “You’ve got to be confident. Just do what you keep doing. I didn’t want to change anything today. I just wanted to attack them.”
Kirby has approached his workload-management situation by simply being as efficient as possible, which has allowed him to pitch deeper into games. Since spending nearly three weeks at Triple-A Tacoma in July -- an assignment to curb his innings -- Kirby is averaging 14.2 pitches per inning, tied for fifth-fewest in
MLB. It’s not just his strike-throwing ability, but also the ease of his mechanics that allow him to cruise.
“Some guys are a little bit more violent in their delivery,” Servais said. “You talk about how Robbie does it or maybe how Logan [Gilbert] does it, George stays within himself. He stays on line. It's a shorter arm action. There are a lot of things that line up. The energy he lets go every night in a start is maybe different
than some of our other guys.”
Kirby was charged with just one unearned run that manifested via an error by J.P. Crawford on a would-be double-play ball in the sixth inning. Instead of having two outs with no one on, there were no outs with runners on the corners, at which point Servais went to high-leverage reliever Andrés Muñoz, who gave up
a run on a groundout.
It was a marginally disappointing finish for the uber-competitive Kirby, especially since he was at just 85 pitches and nearly cleared seven shutout innings, which would’ve been a new personal best. On six occasions this season, he’s thrown at least five innings with zero earned runs, including Saturday.
And while it’s probably too late for the righty to surge into the AL ROY conversation, especially given Julio Rodríguez’s impressive candidacy, Kirby is giving Seattle a chance to win every time out.
Friday Sept. 9
FINAL
ATL 6 vs 4 SEA
Mariners tested by Braves
Carlos Santana's two-homer game wasn't enough for the Mariners in a slugfest against a fellow playoff contender.
Braves vs. Mariners Game Highlights (9/9/22) | MLB Highlights
Carlos Santana just hit a home run with a Double Bubble wrapper plastered on his helmet.
By Daniel Kramer @DKramer_
SEATTLE -- For the Mariners, this weekend’s series was always going to carry a little more hype, a little more fanfare and a little more weight.
The defending World Series champs are in the house, and they look even better than they did last year. There’s less than one month until the postseason, and far more eyes are on Seattle than in recent memory with the increasing likelihood of the Mariners ending their playoff drought.
For all these reasons, this weekend is a barometer. Atlanta is every bit the type of heavyweight that the Mariners will see night in and night out in October, and they were awakened to how sizable that challenge will be in a 6-4 loss on Friday night.
“Atlanta, they have a great team. They’re one of the best teams in the league,” said Carlos Santana, the veteran leader who’s been on three playoff teams and who crushed two homers on Friday. “They’re doing the same things as us, trying to make it to the playoffs.”
The Mariners entered play with an .816 winning percentage in games in which they scored four or more runs, but that production wasn’t enough on a night when their pitching staff -- which has been as dominant as any the past two months -- looked more vulnerable than usual. Robbie Ray and Matthew Festa
surrendered two homers each, marking just the seventh time all season and first time since Aug. 1 that the Mariners have given up four in a game.
Seattle’s bats punched back with three deep flies, a solo shot from J.P. Crawford and the two from Santana -- including a monster blast that caromed off the top deck in right field. But on a night when Ray wasn’t as crisp and labored to 95 pitches in just five innings, then Festa gave up a leadoff homer to Michael
Harris II and another to Robbie Grossman, Seattle was basically playing from behind all evening.
“They made him work,” Mariners manager Scott Servais said of Ray. “He was close to 100 pitches there through five innings. It's not typically what we've seen out of Robbie. He's been really consistent getting us deep in ballgames. They swung the bats well against him.”
Ray had been so dominant entering Friday, riding a 13-inning scoreless streak spanning two outings against AL Central-leading Cleveland, and he was the AL Pitcher of the Month for August.
Yet, Atlanta proved to be an ominous opponent, entering the night ranking second in homers (206), OPS against lefties (.808) and slugging percentage against fastballs (.508) -- all strengths that were on display.
“They're a tough team,” Ray said. “They can grind out at-bats, even when they're not getting on base, the guys, they can put a good AB on you. So it's a tough lineup, but I’ll flush it and move on to the next one.”
Robbie Ray Records 6 Strikeouts
Nine of the 17 balls in play against Ray were hard-hit (95 mph or higher), his third most in a start this year, and he was regularly behind in the count, with first-pitch strikes to just 12 of his 24 batters.
Ray struggled to locate his two-seam fastball to righties, which led to a solo homer by Travis d’Arnaud, and the lefty admittedly left his slider in the zone at times when he didn’t intend to, which led to a two-run shot by Dansby Swanson.
“With the slider, I just need to be a little more cognizant of when the strike slider is good and it’s going to play and when I need to throw it below the zone for a swing and miss or a chase,” Ray said. “I feel like sometimes I get them backwards. ... I think execution was maybe a little off today. This is a good-hitting
team. You can’t really be off against them. They’re a deep lineup.”
Defensively, the Mariners improved from an uncharacteristic showing that led to Wednesday’s loss. Yet, one wide route taken by left fielder Jesse Winker in the fourth led to a run after Harris was able to leg out a double then later score on Grossman’s single.
Pregame, Servais said that in order to beat the Braves, “You’ve got to play a good game, you’ve got to make the plays defensively. They've got young players that are very athletic.” It was forecasted that such plays would manifest.
“They’ve got a good team. We have a good team,” Servais said. “They beat us tonight. But we're going to have to make a few adjustments.”
Thanks to @Seahawks legend and @ProFootballHOF member @BigWalt71 for joining us at the ballpark and throwing out tonight's first pitch!
Tuesday Sept. 6
FINAL
CWS 9 vs 6 SEA
'A bad day' erases Castillo's record start
Mariners commit 3 errors after ace strikes out first 7 batters, a club mark to begin a game
Luis Castillo struck out the first 7 batters he faced, but an uncharacteristic 3 errors led to 6 unearned runs
White Sox vs. Mariners game Highlights (9/7/22) | MLB Highlights
PREVIEW: 6:40 PM PDT
ATL-SEA on Apple TV+
Watch FREE on Apple TV+: The Mariners continue their postseason push in Friday's Interleague matchup.
Friday Sept. 9
ATL 0 vs 0 SEA
For $50, fans seated in the Hit It Here Cafe will have WiFi/power access for their laptop and receive a catered Lunch.
SEATTLE -- Given how it started, it’s wildly ironic how it ended.
Luis Castillo set a Mariners record by striking out each of his first seven batters to begin Wednesday's matinee at T-Mobile Park, just two hours after manager Scott Servais fielded questions over how buttoned-up Seattle’s defense has been all season.
Yet after the dust settled on a disappointing 9-6 loss to the White Sox, the Mariners were left with arguably their most uncharacteristic showing of the season, a defeat manifested with costly defensive miscues and an earlier-than-anticipated exit by their ace after such an epic beginning. Seattle committed three
errors, each of which led to runs, spoiling an otherwise strong start by Castillo and a big day for Eugenio Suárez, who crushed his 1,000th career hit as part of a two-homer day.
“It’s very uncharacteristic of what we normally do,” Servais said. “I do not want to harp on it. The sky is not falling. We had a bad day. We'll come back and play good defense.”
The Mariners had only twice before committed three errors in a game, and on Wednesday, they led to a season-high six unearned runs. If their showing seemed like an outlier, it probably was.
“Very much so,” Servais said.
Mariners’ defensive ranks entering Wednesday (MLB rank)
Errors: 40 (1st)
Outs above average: 9 (9th)
Defensive runs saved: 40 (7th)
Defensive WAR: 0.7 (12th)
Here’s a recap of the three errors that led to runs:
• Suárez, who might be a sneaky Gold Glove Award candidate at third base, watched a ground ball from Seby Zavala scoot through his legs to lead off the sixth inning. Zavala reached, then scored as the inning spiraled away from Castillo. Suárez later missed a tough chopper by Eloy Jiménez that led to a down-the-
line double on a ball that initially looked like it was heading foul. And all of a sudden, Seattle’s 4-0 lead -- built in large part by Suárez’s towering two-run homer in the fourth -- was quashed.
Our Good Vibes King
Eugenio Suárez Crushes Two Homers
1,000 is a BIG One! Congrats, Eugenio Suárez Blasts his Second Home Run of the Game
• With the score tied in the eighth inning, catcher Curt Casali sailed a throw into the outfield on a stolen base by Leury Garcia, who easily reached third on the mishap. Garcia was already well on his way when Casali fired, in part due to the lengthier delivery by Mariners reliever Diego Castillo. Garcia scored on Gavin
Sheets’ Baltimore chop to short.
• With Seattle trailing by one in the ninth, Chris Flexen overthrew first base on a sacrifice bunt by Zavala with no outs and two on, which allowed a run to score from second. Flexen later surrendered a sacrifice fly to José Abreu that would have been the third out instead of the second had it not been for the mishap.
It was an all-around off afternoon, and one that the Mariners would like to quickly flush.
“That’s just kind of part of baseball,” Castillo said through team interpreter Freddy Llanos. “Sometimes, there are bad moments. Sometimes, there are good moments. A lot of times, there are more good moments than anything. We just have to turn the page.”
The day’s bright spot was the righty’s early showing. Castillo’s seven consecutive K’s tied Mark Langston for the franchise record for the most at any point in any game, dating back to June 15, 1984, against the Rangers at the Kingdome.
Seattle’s previous high to start a game was five, done by Michael Pineda on July 9, 2011. Six others had four K’s to begin a game, including Logan Gilbert (twice), Félix Hernández (twice), Langston (twice), Justus Sheffield, Taijuan Walker and Pineda. Castillo was two shy from tying the MLB record for most strikeouts
to begin a game, the nine set by Miami’s Pablo López last July 11.
Perhaps just as impressive about Castillo’s effort is that he carved through the White Sox with his entire arsenal. He generated punchouts on his four-seam fastball, slider and changeup over his first seven hitters, with only one of the K’s being backward for a called strike three.
LUIS CASTILLO 7 CONSECUTIVE STRIKEOUTS that ties 6/15/84 Mark Langston for the Mariners' record at any point in a game AND CASTILLO DID IT TO START A GAME!
A look at all strikeouts from Luis Castillo to start today's game ... It's a Mariners franchise record for consecutive strikeouts at any point in any game.
The Mariners acquired Castillo ahead of the Trade Deadline to help fortify a rotation that was already one of the more consistent in the American League. He has a 2.70 ERA in seven starts since the trade, holding hitters to an opposing slash line of .226/.282/.352 (.634 OPS).
Julio Rodríguez Officially Signs Contract Extension
A look at the moment Julio Rodríguez officially signed his contract extension.
August AL Rookie of the Month George Kirby Hops On MLB Network
George Kirby joins the crew at MLB Network to talk about winning the AL Rookie of the Month for August and his 2022 season.
#OTD in Ichiro, 2013: Ichiro robs David Ortiz with an Incredible Catch:
Tuesday Sept. 6
FINAL
CWS 0 vs 3 SEA
'Walter,' Logan Gilbert's alter ego, has arrived
After tossing 6 scoreless innings, Mariners righty wows teammates with raw emotion
Say hello to 'Walter' Gilbert
After capping his 6-inning gem with his career-high-tying 9th strikeout, Logan Gilbert's alter ego made an arrival.
Our crew killed it this week flipping the field from a concert to Mariners baseball!
1:10 PM PDT
Watch live on MLB.TV: Luis Castillo, who has a 2.39 ERA in 6 outings since joining Seattle, will get the nod today.
Shutout SZN. #SeaUsRise @logangilbert22
White Sox vs. Mariners Game Highlights (9/6/22) | MLB Highlights
Splash
Logan Gilbert Fans Nine
SEATTLE -- Within the walls of the Mariners’ clubhouse, many have already met “Walter,” the imposing alter ego of Logan Gilbert. But on Tuesday night, the fiery and seemingly out-of-character second personality of the starting pitcher went mainstream.
On Gilbert's 101st and final pitch in a 3-0 win over the White Sox at T-Mobile Park, the towering right-hander blew a 98.6 mph fastball by AJ Pollock to strand two runners and cap his sixth scoreless inning. It was a tense sequence, with the tying run on third base and the go-ahead run on first.
Yet, Gilbert used every bit of his 7.5-foot extension down the mound, completely emptied the tank with his second-fastest pitch of the game, watched Pollock whiff and then clenched his fists and screamed with such raw emotion that brought to life the alter ego that’s been heard of, but never quite seen.
Gilbert might have taken the mound ahead of that moment, but “Walter” walked off.
“He is about as kindhearted, as nice -- I say a kid, but a young man -- as you're going to find,” Mariners manager Scott Servais said. “He treats everybody with super all kinds of respect. But when it's his day to pitch and he steps out of the dugout to take the mound, it is on, and I love that about him.”
Even Gilbert's teammates who grew up alongside him in the Minors, including catcher Cal Raleigh, were wowed.
“The reaction was awesome,” Raleigh said. “For him to come through in that moment is huge. And for him to gear back and be sitting 99 [mph] for those last couple batters was really impressive. That's like Justin Verlander stuff.”
Through pent-up frustration over shaky fastball command and the stakes of the moment, Gilbert -- or “Walter” -- made the first of what could be many appearances as each passing game becomes increasingly important in Seattle's postseason push.
“I think it was a culmination of that -- close game, just a big moment and trying to make a big pitch,” Gilbert said. “And then when I did, it just kind of came out. I don't even know what happened. I kind of just like blacked out.”
Logan Gilbert Takes Command, Cal Raleigh Crushes in Mariners Win Over White Sox
Amped Cam: Logan Gilbert. His 101st pitch was a 98.6 mph fastball for his career-high-tying ninth strikeout to end the 6th inning.
Photo by Alika Jenner/Getty Images
MLB Postgame Cal Raleigh blasts 2-run homer to lead Mariners to wipe out the White Sox 3-0
Despite the box score, dramatic finish and consecutive starts without allowing a run, Gilbert felt like he was “off” on Tuesday. He threw first-pitch strikes to only 11 of the 24 White Sox batters he faced, had to labor back into counts and overcame what Servais called “non-competitive pitches.” Yet, Gilbert's ability to
navigate through the sixth without his best stuff underscored, in the Mariners’ eyes, how far he’s come.
Gilbert gave up five hits, walked none and struck out a career-high-tying nine, outdueling two-time All-Star Johnny Cueto, who stymied Seattle’s bats and allowed only one run, which came on a throwing error by right fielder Gavin Sheets. Gilbert’s resilience and mid-game adjustments are a huge reason why the
Mariners are 18-10 when he pitches -- and why he’d be such a valuable piece in the postseason.
Ty France Scores on Error
Gilbert's four-seam fastball is his favorite pitch, but the refinement of his slider via a new grip has been huge. He induced whiffs on five of the 10 swings he generated on the breaking ball, four for strikeouts.
“I think as he gets more and more experience, you're only going to see more consistency with that -- because he likes to compete,” Servais said. “He knows he's one of the better pitchers in the league.”
Since getting roughed up a bit by the Astros and Yankees twice apiece out of the All-Star break, Gilbert has hit a stride eerily similar to one last September. Over his past five starts (including Tuesday), he has a 2.15 ERA and has held hitters to a .239/.274/.303 slash line, with a 24.6-percent strikeout rate and 4.2-
percent walk rate. Gilbert also hasn’t allowed a homer during this stretch.
Cal Raleigh's Two-Run Jack (23) His MLB Leading All Catchers
Gilbert and the Mariners received a big boost, after the righty left the game, from Raleigh, whose 23rd homer of the year came in the eighth and provided vital insurance, despite Seattle’s collective shutout. Beyond Gilbert, Mariners pitchers have allowed three or fewer runs in nine straight games, the second-longest
streak in franchise history behind only a 13-game run in 2014. Gilbert contributed to two of those, as he also tossed six scoreless innings in Detroit last Thursday.
That blowout victory didn’t feature “Walter"; the moment didn’t call for it. But as the calendar gets deeper into September -- and potentially October -- the secret might be out on Gilbert’s incredibly competitive alter ego.
Servais, Me talking about the Seattle Mariners to anyone who will listen:
Monday Sept. 5
FINAL
CWS 3 vs 1 SEA
After hectic day, Mariners fight 'til final pitch
Gonzales gives bullpen a breather with strong 7-inning start, but rally falls shy
Mariners' win streak ends
After a long day, Marco Gonzales gave the Mariners 7 strong innings, as the team battled until the final strike.
White Sox vs. Mariners Game Highlights (9/5/22) | MLB Highlights
J.P. Crawford's RBI single
SEATTLE -- The pendulum swung swiftly for the Mariners in the span of 24 hours, which included an eight-plus-hour game in Cleveland, accounting for a rain delay, and late-night travel from the Eastern Time Zone immediately afterward.
One day later, a combination of a rejuvenated Lance Lynn and a 3 a.m. PT arrival time at T-Mobile Park culminated in a 3-2 loss to the White Sox that snapped a seven-game win streak. Yet despite just three hits through their first 8 2/3 innings and a mostly quiet day at the plate, Monday’s game came down to the final pitch.
Seattle entered the ninth inning trailing by two yet put the tying run on third base and the winning run on second only to come up just short when pinch-hitter Adam Frazier struck out against All-Star closer Liam Hendriks on three pitches. That moment followed what was shaping up to be more Chaos Ball -- the
brand of late-innings Mariners magic that is the club’s specialty -- but it came just short.
“It’s really fun to win every game,” Mariners manager Scott Servais said. “I guess that’s why it’s fun, because it’s not easy. We’ve had quite a run here the last week or so.”
Mariners starters were out of the lineup after yesterday’s debacle, and that my heart grew three sizes during the M’s most recent winning streak, I can’t even be mad about it. This is just so much less annoying when it’s not Justin Verlander.
The Mariners did manage to make it interesting in the final two innings once Lynn came out of the game. With two outs in the eighth, Julio came up to face Kendall Graveman, and the way the crowd was responding, you’d never know that the Mariners were losing 3-1.
Moments before Frazier was punched out, J.P. Crawford blooped an RBI single into shallow right field that plated Mitch Haniger, who led off the ninth with a base hit. Sam Haggerty, who was pinch-running for Eugenio Suárez, was held up while rounding third in what would’ve been an incredibly close play at the plate.
Seattle also had a rally brewing in the eighth, when Julio Rodríguez chopped a 107.2 mph single up the middle, but Ty France’s sky-high fly ball that followed landed at the left-field warning track for the third out.
The Mariners dropped into a tie with Tampa Bay for the top AL Wild Card spot, and they remain only a half-game ahead of Toronto for the final spot. In a tight playoff race, results matter above all -- but effort, albeit intangible, is also critical.
“It’s not hard to see,” Marco Gonzales said of the Mariners’ late-innings push. “I mean, guys got in at 3 a.m. last night and came out, the energy was still the same today. I didn't really notice a difference in our guys, which says a lot about the character here to go out and just fight against a good team like that. It
says a lot about who we are.”
Marco Gonzales Strikes Out Three
Hendriks needed 30 pitches to escape the jam, and he was aided in a big way by the starting pitcher who preceded him. Lynn turned in arguably his best start of an up-and-down season, retiring 17 in a row to finish the outing while striking out a season-high 11.
Lynn utilized an elevated fastball early in counts that was easily aided by shadows between the mound and home plate thanks to the 3:40 p.m. PT Labor Day start time. The heater then set up the curveball that he largely used for an out pitch, and in total, he generated 25 swings and misses.
"The shadows were ugly early, so that helps the pitchers, for sure,” Lynn said. “I knew that they were going to have trouble seeing the ball, so I just went on attack and it worked out well."
The No-Fly Zone is in Full Effect ❌
Julio Rodríguez's Diving Catch, JULIOOOOOOOOOOOO!
Gonzales also utilized the environment over seven strong innings, which helped the bullpen one day after Servais used 10 pitchers in Cleveland. The lefty turned heavily to his cutter earlier in counts to keep the White Sox off balance, but he paid on a pair of mistake pitches -- a middle-low changeup that A.J. Pollock
turned into a solo homer in the second, and a middle-high fastball that Elvis Andrus punched for a two-run homer in the third. Andrus’ ball caromed off Mitch Haniger’s glove and over the fence in what would’ve been an epic home run robbery.
Andrus, who was released by Oakland on Aug. 17 then signed with the White Sox, now has 11 homers this year -- five of which have come at T-Mobile Park.
“Mitch came really close, and I thought he made an unbelievable catch,” Gonzales said. “I think everybody did and then it squeaked out, but you know, I’ve faced Elvis a ton and every time it seems like it's like an 11 [or] 12-pitch battle. So I mean, hat’s off to him. He's a great hitter.”
All winning streaks come to an end, but this one didn’t necessarily have the sting or sour taste.
Sometimes you gotta put it where they Ain't.
Abraham Toro's RBI Single
7. Seattle Mariners (LW: 8)
Mariners fans likely won’t celebrate until their team officially clinches its spot, but Seattle looks poised to finally—finally—get back to the postseason. The Mariners are a season-best 18 games over .500 and riding a seven-game winning streak after completing a perfect six-game road trip at Detroit and Cleveland. The
pitching staff has been electric during this run, giving up just 10 total runs with three shutouts. Seattle has allowed more than four runs just once in its last 15 games.
Sunday Sept. 4
FINAL/11
SEA 6 vs 3 CLE
Cleveland Rocked
Streaking Mariners alone atop AL Wild Card standings
Seattle uses every single reliever as they win their seventh straight
Mariners roll a seven
Cal Raleigh homered in the 11th as Seattle won its 7th straight and bolstered its Wild Card position.
🧹 Mariners Secure Road Trip Sweep 🧹
Mariners vs. Guardians Highlights (9/4/22) | MLB Highlights
J.P. Crawford snuck an RBI single up the middle to score Manfred Runner Eugenio Suárez, and Cal Raleigh found himself with a rather flat-looking splitter down the pipe at 87 MPH.
He did this to it.
CLEVELAND (AP) — J.P. Crawford singled in the go-ahead run in the 11th inning, Cal Raleigh added a two-run homer and the Seattle Mariners beat the slumping Cleveland Guardians 6-3 Sunday for their seventh straight win in a game that was delayed by rain for 4 hours, 33 minutes.
CLEVELAND -- The top spot in the American League Wild Card race belongs to the Mariners. It took a 4 1/2-hour weather delay, 11 innings, their entire bullpen and nearly all of their bench.
After relinquishing a lead late and failing to capitalize on a golden scoring opportunity in the 10th inning, the Mariners pushed across three runs in the 11th on Sunday in a 6-3 win at Progressive Field that secured a sweep over the Guardians and stretched their winning streak to seven games.
“What a long day,” manager Scott Servais said. “You don’t know how guys are going to respond to that delay. … We needed every guy out of the bullpen and got some huge hits there at the end.”
Crawford's Go-Ahead RBI Single
George Kirby, Wicked 86mph Slider
Seattle’s decisive 11th inning was punctuated by a go-ahead single from J.P. Crawford and a two-run home run from Cal Raleigh, who managed to play hero despite not playing for almost all of the duration of a game that, including the rain delay, took place across 8 hours, 20 minutes, spanning both the afternoon
and evening. After striking out as a pinch-hitter in the ninth inning, Raleigh gave the Mariners insurance runs when he crushed a Trevor Stephan splitter to right field to increase Seattle’s lead to three runs.
“Our guys fight, and they fight all the way to the end,” Servais said. “We don’t know how it’s going to work out or who is going to get the big hit. … We needed someone to break through, and that’s what happened.
Julio Rodríguez's Four Hits
Determined to spare Cleveland from such an exhausting fate, Julio the Merciful obliterated a home run in the third inning to give the Mariners a 2-1 lead.
Another scoreless Kirby frame brought the game into the fourth, and the PNW-style misting drizzle turned into rain. Not just rain — great, East Coast-style drops of rain, each of which might have been a refreshing sip of water on its own.
That said, Crawford and Raleigh might not have had a chance to win it if not for Abraham Toro. The veteran infielder, who entered the game as a pinch-hitter, made a nice place at second base to induce a tough 4-3-6 double play on Josh Naylor that included a throw from first baseman Ty France to the shortstop
Crawford at second to get José Ramírez on a tag play.
“Really heads-up play,” Servais said. “Toro deserves a lot of credit for running the runner back and keeping the double play in order and Ty finishing it when we had him caught up in the rundown. You have to make those kinds of plays, and our guys have a knack for doing it.”
Scott Servais after Win! GOOD VIBES!! "All he could do is Smile!"
All nine members of the Mariners’ bullpen were pressed into use after starter George Kirby’s workday was done after three innings because of the long delay. The relievers combined to allow two runs over eight innings.
Matthew Festa and Matthew Boyd were among the standouts, as their gutsy performances in the ninth inning (Festa) and 10th (Boyd) turned back the Guardians, who had rallied from a 3-1 deficit by scoring in the seventh and eighth innings.
“I felt good about where we’re at bullpen-wise, and you never know what’s going to happen with the weather,” Servais said. “Credit to our guys. That’s a long time to wait around not knowing if you’re going to play.”
Matthew Boyd Leaves them Loaded
In came the ever-terrifying Diego Castillo.
Superstar rookie Julio Rodríguez was a factor before and after the delay. He reached on an error in the first inning and scored on France’s double. After the Guardians tied it in the bottom of the first, Rodríguez put the Mariners in front again with his 23rd home run -- a towering shot to the bleachers in left field in the
third inning. Rodríguez finished the game 4-for-6.
The win closed a 6-0 road trip through Detroit and Cleveland. After beating up on the lowly Tigers for three games, the Mariners scored first in all three games in Cleveland.
Julio Rodríguez's Solo Home Run, JULIOOOOOOOOOOOO!
And while the final win might come with the tradeoff of a middle-of-the-night arrival before a day game in Seattle on Monday, no one in the Mariners’ clubhouse seems to care. Especially since they’ll head to the Pacific Northwest in the driver’s seat of the AL Wild Card race after the Rays’ loss to the Yankees on
Sunday.
“We went 6-0 on that trip, and everybody chipped in,” Servais said. “I love where our ballclub is right now.”'
Ty France's RBI Double
UP NEXT
Mariners: Seattle begins a three-game series at home against the Chicago White Sox. LHP Marco Gonzales (10-12, 3.99 ERA) beat Detroit in his last start, allowing three runs in six innings.
Saturday Sept. 3
FINAL
SEA 4 vs 0 CLE
Cleveland Rocked
Mariners' aces lifting club just when it matters most
Seattle Seeing Value of Aces
One start after another, Robbie Ray and Luis Castillo are proving just how valuable they are in a playoff chase.
The Vibes. They’re Good. Really Good. #SeaUsRise
Mariners vs. Guardians Game Highlights (9/3/22) | MLB Highlights
Another Dominant Start
“I wanted to bear down and throw my best pitch, and tonight that seemed like the four-seam,” Ray said.
Dancing to the Wild Card, Victory Formation!!!
Robbie Ray's Three Strikeouts
CLEVELAND -- This is why the Mariners got Robbie Ray and Luis Castillo.
After going all of last year without a true ace, the Mariners have two this year. The quest for an ace started last December when the Mariners signed Ray, the reigning AL Cy Young winner, to a five-year, $115 million deal. It reached a crescendo in late July when they acquired Castillo from the Reds. And, most
importantly, it’s making a difference in September.
Last week, the Mariners closed out their four-game series against the Guardians with two stellar starts from Castillo and Ray. Less than a week later, the duo once again faced off against Cleveland, this time on the other side of the country, with the results ending up just as sparkling. In their four starts against the
currently playoff-bound Guardians, Ray and Castillo have allowed one run and two walks while tallying 24 strikeouts, with the latest gem coming in the form of Ray’s six shutout innings in the Mariners' 4-0 win over Cleveland on Saturday.
“These guys have good stuff, they’re aggressive and they stay after them, which is what you have to do,” manager Scott Servais said. “You have to stay aggressive. At this time of year you have to lean on guys who have been there before. They’ve pitched deep into seasons in big games.”
After their sixth consecutive victory, the surging Mariners remained in a virtual tie with Tampa Bay atop the AL Wild Card standings and two games ahead of Toronto.
Cal Raleigh's RBI Single
While both Ray and Servais said that Ray didn’t have his best stuff, the left-hander was still able to turn in six scoreless innings on a warm, muggy night.
“We’ve seen a better fastball, we’ve seen a better slider, but at the end of the day, he was working through the lineup and going deep in the ball game, which is exactly what we needed,” Servais said.
Ray’s night nearly ended earlier than expected, however, as he ran into trouble in the fifth inning after Andrés Giménez and Luke Maile (Cleveland's No. 7 and 8 hitters) opened the frame with back-to-back hits. But, as he’s done so many times already this season, Ray buckled down, getting Myles Straw to line out
before inducing a Steven Kwan fielder’s choice and striking out Tyler Freeman to end the inning.
Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
“When he had traffic there in the fifth, I wasn’t sure if he was going to get through that, but that’s what Robbie Ray does,” Servais said. “At the end of the outing he goes to a different gear to finish. He’s a finisher. That’s what we saw tonight.”
That different gear came in the form of a 95 mph four-seam fastball up in the zone, which ended a seven-pitch at-bat against Freeman.
“I wanted to bear down and throw my best pitch, and tonight that seemed like the four-seam,” Ray said.
After striking out seven times against Ray last time out, the Guardians (whose 18.4% strikeout rate is the best in baseball) were able to put more balls in play. And while that resulted in Cleveland getting more hits against Ray (six on Saturday compared to three last time), in Ray’s mind, not all the contact was bad.
“This team puts the ball in play, and I think tonight we were able to make sure they hit the pitches I wanted them to hit,” Ray said. “The big double play there was huge. I had a few timely strikeouts, but for the most part it was them hitting balls at guys.”
George Kirby Joins the Broadcast
“I ate one a month ago playing in the backyard with the kids, but never on the field before,” he said with a chuckle.
Ray was able to pitch from in front from the outset thanks to Ty France, who put Seattle on the board early in the first inning with a home run that scraped the sky and ended up in Progressive Field's Home Run Porch. That was more than enough run support for Ray and Seattle’s pitchers.
“We have a lot of confidence in our pitching staff; they’ve carried us all year,” France said. “To add Luis at the break and watch what he’s done has been impressive. Aside from a couple starts early, Robbie’s been Cy Young Robbie Ray. We feed off of them and just try to go out and give them a comfortable lead.”
Ty France's Solo Homer (18)
Friday Sept. 2
FINAL
CLE 1 vs 6 SEA
Cleveland Rocked
Raleigh's 2 homers move Mariners toward October
As Seattle looks to stay strong down the stretch, backstop goes deep twice vs. Guardians
Raleigh rallies Seattle to Win
Cal Raleigh crushed two homers, moving the Mariners another step forward on the path to a playoff spot.
Cleveland Guardians
Kirby takes home Rookie of the Month hardware
With a 4-0 record and a 2.15 ERA, along with 34 strikeouts and just three walks, George Kirby earned the American League Rookie of the Month Award for August.
Taking Command @gkirb98 is the AL Rookie of the Month for August! #SeaUsRise
Boy, oh, boy, George
Command pitchers aren’t known for their strikeouts, but Kirby’s had more than his share of those this month with 34, which is tied with Julio Urias and Lucas Giolito for 22nd in baseball.
To be sure, Kirby’s FIP isn’t quite as dominant as it seems. Over a small sample, home-run rate will have an outsized influence on FIP, and a month-long home-run rate is about as useful for evaluating a pitcher as an astrology chart. But look, allowing zero home runs is a real thing that Kirby did. What more was he
supposed to do? If we just look at the two outcomes most within a pitcher’s control together, Kirby’s 25.8% strikeout-minus-walk rate is tenth in baseball this month.
George Kirby Named AL Rookie of the Month for August
That’s Five in a ROWWWWW! #SeaUsRise
Mariners vs. Guardians Game Highlights (9/2/22) | MLB Highlights
Cal Raleigh Drills two Home Runs
Cal Crushes 2 Home Runs, Castillo Dominates in Victory Over Guardians
CLEVELAND -- Cal Raleigh was there last year when his team scratched and clawed its way into the American League playoff picture only to have the postseason door slammed in their faces on the last day of the season.
This year, Raleigh’s doing everything he can to make sure that door stays wide open into October.
A day after they closed out a dominant sweep of Detroit, Raleigh and the Mariners continued to feast on the American League Central on Friday with a 6-1 win over the first-place Guardians that was highlighted by two well-timed home runs from Raleigh. With the win, the Mariners remained tied with Tampa Bay for
“Any time you can be in a situation like we were last year is going to help,” Raleigh said. “Coming up last year was huge, so this year we know we need to keep our head down and not give any games away, because we know each game is really important.”
Mitch Haniger's RBI Double Mitch Haniger gets us started
Friday’s victory was another strong performance in what has become a breakout season for Raleigh, who now has 21 home runs on the year. That leads American League catchers and puts him in a tie with the Cubs’ Willson Contreras for the Major League lead among backstops.
“He’s put together some kind of season,” manager Scott Servais said. “If you look at how the season started for him and where he’s at right now, I don’t think anyone could have predicted this … really really proud of him.”
Scott Servais after Win! GOOD VIBES!!
While both of Raleigh’s home runs went to right field, they left Progressive Field in completely different ways. In the second inning, Raleigh hit the prototypical blink-and-you’ll-miss-it home run when he smoked a Cody Morris fastball into the right-field seats to extend Seattle’s lead to 2-0.
The homer had an exit velocity of 113.9 mph (.1 mph below his career high), a launch angle of 21 degrees (the second-lowest launch angle for any of his home runs) and a hang time of only 3.6 seconds.
Raleigh said the experience of going against Morris was akin to youth baseball, as Morris made his debut on short-notice after scheduled starter Zach Plesac was a late scratch due to a right hand fracture.
“There’s so much info out there even in the Minor Leagues, so we had an idea [of how to approach him],” Raleigh said. “It’s kind of like travel ball, where you’re just showing up and saying, ‘All right, I’m going with my approach today.’”
"Eugenio does his Best Sam Haggerty Impression."
Raleigh’s second home run can be filed under the traditional category, as he launched a hanging curveball from Bryan Shaw 424 feet into right-center field to put the game away. It gave Raleigh his second multi-homer game of the year, and he became the third catcher in team history with 20-plus home runs in a
season, joining Mike Zunino and Omar Narváez.
“He’s some kind of strong, and [we knew] he had power from both sides; you just don’t know when it’s going to click at the Major League level,” Servais said. “The timing has been perfect. … He’s been fun to watch.”
Raleigh also flashed his skillset behind the dish, as he worked with starter Luis Castillo for six scoreless innings in another strong start for the Trade Deadline acquisition. Cleveland’s lone run came in the seventh on a throwing error by Julio Rodríguez.
“[Calling a game] is something you take pride in every day,” said Raleigh. “You’re not going to get two home runs or even a hit every day, that’s just how it is, but you can always go back there and control the other hitters.”
Luis Castillo Fans Four
As noted above, Cal was real mad. And apparently he doesn’t believe that vengance is a dish best served cold, because he came back right away.
Those two home runs brought him to 21, and he’s become just the third catcher to go yard 20 times in a season in Mariners history. Congratulations, Cal! In an even more prestigious honor, tonight also earned him his fourth Sun Hat Award for notable contribution. But the biggest honor of all was undoubtedly this:
While Castillo only tallied four strikeouts (six fewer than he rung up against Cleveland in his last start), he attacked the strike zone and kept hitters off balance, recording a 55% whiff rate with his slider.
“I consider him one of the best,” Castillo said of Raleigh. “I have a lot of confidence in him, and he’s one of the reasons we’re doing so great.”
A former Major League catcher, Servais crashed Raleigh’s postgame interview with AT&T Sportsnet by playfully dumping water down his catcher’s mask before hugging him.
Neither of them wants that to be their last postgame celebratory embrace.
“He gets it,” Raleigh said.
Cal Raleigh
When Skip is proud...
Robbie Ray joins MLB Network's Intentional Talk
Thursday Sept. 1
FINAL
SEA 7 vs 0 DET
Swaggerty goes full Spidey for shot at catch
Taking Care of Business
The Mariners' first postseason in a long time is in sight, and Thursday, they played like a team who'd earned it.
Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports
Taking Care of Business
𝔼 𝕃 𝔼 ℂ 𝕋 ℝ 𝕀 ℂ - 𝔽 𝔸 ℂ 𝕋 𝐎 ℝ 𝕐
𝐒𝐖𝐄𝐄𝐏 𝐒𝐖𝐄𝐄𝐏
Sweep, Sweep Victory. #SeaUsRise
Logan BB what is you doing with this facial hair Photo by Duane Burleson/Getty Images
Gilbert got Victor Reyes swinging, and Taylor Trammell—called up today as part of roster expansion, hooray for Tay—made a sweet diving catch to end the inning:
And that would be it for Gilbert, who proceeded to methodically dismantle the Tigers offense over the next three innings. He said he felt like his slider, which he recently made a “slight tweak” to, felt really good today, so he leaned on it heavily, and was happy with his command of the zone—being on the edges
without being too far in the middle of the plate, allowing him to whip the fastball past Tigers hitters and rack up nine strikeouts.
Gilbert’s day was cut short at just 89 pitches after six innings, because the bullpen was rested and the Mariners had built a big lead by that point as the Tigers offense Haven’t Done Nothin’
Bats Stay Hot, Mariners Shutout Tigers to Finish Sweep
Daniel Kramer @DKramer_
DETROIT -- Is Sam Haggerty an alter-ego for Peter Parker? Because the Mariners’ utilityman sure looked like Spider-Man with an epic near-catch on Thursday that had all in baseball social media circles swirling.
On a sky-high fly ball into left-field foul territory during the seventh inning of Seattle’s series finale against the Tigers, Haggerty left his feet, raced into the protective netting, somehow corralled the ball into his glove, sprung back-first onto the playing surface, lost control of the ball in the process, landed flat on his
buttocks then rolled over on his belly, smiling.
Even Haggerty -- known by Mariners fans as “Swaggerty” for his ability for his flair in the field -- couldn’t believe his latest act.
The initial ruling on the field was an out by third-base umpire Gabe Morales, but after a challenge by the Tigers, the call was overturned. Nonetheless, it was a spectacular effort by a player who, in the words of Mariners manager Scott Servais, “makes things happen” when he’s on the field.Took care of business,
Welcome to the Squad, @mattboyd48 Matt Boyd
And while we’re awarding gold stars, there’s gotta be one for this catch Sam Haggerty almost made with Brash on the mound:
Mark this down as the day Sam Haggerty broke Aaron Goldsmith. It’s a shame that wasn’t ruled a catch—you can see here why it was ruled to be net-aided:
—but on the bright side, this allowed Brash to go back and collect a strikeout, much to the delight of his family and friends in attendance (Canada is close to Detroit, they say). Haggerty, whose mother was [Journey voice] born and raised in South Detroit, also had some family in attendance, so everyone wins. But
especially these fans, who Can’t Help [Themselves] but to be amazed by Spider-Sam, Spider-Sam, doing whatever a Swaggy Ham can.
"This fall, Sam Haggerty is SPIDER-MAN" (yes we know it's not an out but the effort is immaculate)
And Did it with a Smile. #SeaUsRise
Wednessday Aug. 31
FINAL
SEA 5 vs 3 DET
Late-inning monster Toro comes up big again
One day after returning from Minors, infielder gets another clutch go-ahead hit
Toro making up for lost time
One day after Abraham Toro returned from the Minors, he got back up to his old tricks -- late, clutch hitting.
Gonzales, Toro lift Seattle
Marco Gonzales kept the game close over six innings, before Abraham Toro put the Mariners ahead to stay.
Series win in the bag! #SeaUsRise
Mariners vs. Tigers Game Highlights (8/31/22) | MLB Highlights
DETROIT -- Toro Time is back.
One day after he was recalled from Triple-A Tacoma, infielder Abraham Toro was again the artist of some late-inning heroics. This time, the canvas was cavernous Comerica Park, which had no chance to hold a 403-foot, go-ahead blast that he sent halfway up the right-field bleachers in the seventh inning, which sent
Seattle on its way to a 5-3 victory over the Tigers.
Tonight in Detroit was a full team effort. Gonzales escaped six innings with only three runs left on the board,
The win clinched the series and lifted the Mariners to 14 games above .500, a season high. And it was perhaps fitting that it was Toro who again delivered a decisive blow late -- as he had earlier this year in Baltimore, Houston and against Oakland at home -- to back the Mariners, who are now on pace to match their
90-win season from last year.
“He gets his swings in,” Mariners manager Scott Servais said. “Late in the game, a lot of guys are looking for the perfect pitch or whatever. You’re not really going to get that late in the game. But he goes up there in an aggressive mode.”
Suárez's Two-Run Homer (25)
His 25th HR #EugenioSuárez Shows Off His Hidden Talent Again
On the first pitch of the fateful at-bat, the switch-hitting Toro crushed a hanging curveball from Tigers reliever Alex Lange just after Adam Frazier had dropped a one-out triple into the deepest part of the park in right-center. With a simplified approach, focusing on lining something deep enough for a sacrifice, Toro was
more at ease for the high-stakes moment.
It was eerily familiar to his other late-innings heroics this season -- and perhaps far more unexpected, given that had it not been for Dylan Moore landing on the 10-day injured list with a right oblique strain on Monday, Toro wouldn’t have a roster spot. Of Toro’s nine homers this year, seven have come in the seventh
inning or later. For his career, 15 of his 25 have been that late.
"I just like those moments, just those tight situations,” Toro said. “You just want to drive that run in, simplify your approach, and I think I just like delivering for the team."
At Tacoma, Toro focused on simplifying his leg kick, which he said helped him see the ball better and lay off bad pitches.
“When I was here earlier, I was trying to be early,” Toro said. “But my hands never followed, so it was all about trying to sync it up, clean it up, and that’s what I did in Tacoma.”
Over his first stint in the Majors before being optioned on Aug. 6, Toro regularly flashed his plus bat-to-ball skills, but more often, he was fouling pitches off or rolling them over. That led to a .180/.239/.322 (.560 OPS) slash line in 84 games, a large enough sample of playing time to show how much the front office
values him, but just as much, how pronounced his struggles became.
“He’s gotten a lot of big hits,” Servais said. “Everybody looks at his batting average and the inconsistencies, but the home runs or the big hits late in games has won us quite a few games that he’s been out there and able to produce for us. So, good for him.”
Mitch Haniger Makes Awesome Throw
Moore’s recovery will likely be weeks, which could open the door for Toro to be a regular bench contributor, at least among infielders. Taylor Trammell is expected to be activated when rosters expand Thursday, which would give the Mariners more outfield depth to account for Moore’s versatility there.
After how illuminated his struggles were earlier, not many Mariners fans might’ve had Toro hitting a go-ahead homer this late in the season on their bingo card, but that’s the beauty of pennant chases -- you never know what you’re going to get in an all-hands-on-deck effort.
Teamwork, baby! Lon Horwedel-USA TODAY Sports
Paul Sewald Seals The Win
Marco needs a new jersey
Toro’s heroics helped back Marco Gonzales on a night where the lefty felt so off his game early that after a two-run second inning, he went into the visiting clubhouse and changed jerseys.
"I didn't feel like myself,” Gonzales said. “I felt weirdly, like, kind of shaky, just a little off. And I came and changed my jersey.”
Marco Gonzales K's Miggy
His lone strikeout came, hilariously, against future Hall of Famer Miguel Cabrera. On a fastball. At 90 MPH.
Gonzales had just surrendered two runs that tied the game, highlighted by a hit-by-pitch, a wild pitch and the Tigers ambushing his changeup. But he came back to finish six innings, surrendering an additional run and getting out of a few extra jams with some plus defense behind him.
“I felt like I just wasn't trusting my stuff,” Gonzales said. “I felt like I was aiming the ball a little bit and not letting it go. And after that, through the third and until the end of [my outing], I just thought, ‘OK, if I'm going to get through this game, I just need to really go and stop trying to figure it out. Just pitch.’”
Tuesday Aug. 30
FINAL
SEA 9 vs 3 DET
Cruising into Motown, Mariners a well-oiled machine
Offense breaks out, Kirby turns in scoreless outing and Flexen reaches milestone vs. Tigers
Mariners strong on all sides
George Kirby held the Tigers scoreless for 5 innings, and the offense backed him up with an early 6-run rally.
Detroit dub #SeaUsRise
Pure joy
By Daniel Kramer @DKramer_
DETROIT -- The Mariners motored into the Motor City on Tuesday with one of their more dominant victories of the season, a 9-3 win over the Tigers at Comerica Park that pushed the club to a season-high 13 games above .500.
With the win, they maintained their grip on an AL Wild Card spot. Just half a game behind Tampa Bay for the overall lead with 33 games remaining, their playoff odds climbing to 95%, per FanGraphs.
Here were three key highlights:
Most walks in MLB this season: 4. Jesse Winker - 71
George Kirby Dominates In Mariners Win The offense dropped 9 runs on 11 hits as George Kirby dominated in the Mariners 9-3 win over the Detroit Tigers
The Offensive Onslaught
Ty France didn’t want to put too much stock into his first home in more than three weeks on Sunday sparking him from a slump, but the context changed when he went yard in his very next at-bat in Detroit, where he crushed an opposite-field shot into territory that hitters at Comerica Park rarely, if ever, touch.
France ambushed a first-pitch slider from Matt Manning with one out in the second, then he followed with two more knocks for his first three-hit game since July 25.
Yet the first-time All-Star was hardly the lone contributor. Every starter but Jesse Winker had a hit, and Seattle did its most damage in a six-run third inning against Manning, who entered the night with a 2.40 ERA while holding hitters to a .615 OPS since returning from right shoulder inflammation on Aug. 2.
The Mariners chased him with six straight hits followed by a walk in his fateful third, nearly all above Statcast’s 95 mph hard-hit threshold:
98.6 mph homer (Cal Raleigh)
89.9 mph single (Abraham Toro)
111.5 mph double (Julio Rodríguez)
108.1 mph single (Mitch Haniger)
104.4 mph single (Eugenio Suárez)
107.2 mph single (France)
Their key was to attack Manning’s slider, which had four fewer inches of vertical break than his season average and was more in the strike zone, making it far more decipherable out of hand. For France, who entered the night slashing .143/.191/.221 (.411 OPS) in August, it was hopefully the sign of a big
breakthrough.
"A lot of guys on time, good swings -- none more important than Ty France,” Mariners manager Scott Servais said. “I was hoping it would carry over from what he did on Sunday."
All smiles from the boys
Cal Raleigh started off the inning with a big Solo Shot of his own:
That set off a chain reaction, as the Mariners
Ty France's Solo Homer (16)
The Kirby Show Continues
George Kirby continued his dominant second half with five shutout innings, over which he surrendered just two hits and one walk while striking out five. Since returning from Triple-A Tacoma on July 26, where he’d been as part of an effort to curb his innings, Kirby has a 2.11 ERA and has held hitters to a
.240/.279/.281 (.560 OPS) slash line, with a 29.0% strikeout rate and 3.2% walk rate.
George Kirby, Nasty 95mph Front Door Two Seamer.
George Kirby Throws Over to 1st Base Miggy's,
Tigers Outfielder Kerry Carpenter on this ꓘ against George Kirby: "He has a good fastball and a sharp breaking ball. He threw me one of the best front-door sinkers I've ever seen, so I just had to tip my hat to him."
Kirby’s outing marked the Mariners’ 18th in a row in which starters have pitched at least five innings, and in that stretch, they have a 2.67 ERA, second-best to only the Dodgers, and the club is 12-6.
Servais’ plan was to halt Kirby near 80-85 pitches since the club won’t have an extra off-day before his next scheduled outing on Saturday in Cleveland, an off-day that Kirby had in five of his seven second-half starts. Tuesday’s calculus was part of an effort to keep monitoring his workload, but also to pitch Chris
Flexen for the first time since Aug. 19.
The Jorge Strut™ is alive and well in Detroit.
“He has good stuff across the board,” Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said. “I know they're going to protect his innings a little bit and they're trying to make a run at this, but he's a really good young pitcher. He was impressive."
The $8 Million Option
With an 11-day hiatus since game circumstances warranted him to pitch in relief, Flexen had millions of things to think about. But he quickly created some clarity for himself with his first out in the sixth inning, which pushed him past 300 innings over 2021-22 to trigger an $8 million vesting option on his contract.
It seemed likely that, barring injury, the right-hander would reach the marker after he threw 179 2/3 innings en route to becoming the club’s pitcher of the year in 2021. Yet the long layover between outings lingered, which culminated with Flexen blazing through a high-five assembly line after returning to the dugout.
Flexen is Mobbed by Teammates
“I knew where I was at, of course,” Flexen said. “But I was just happy to be out there and helping the bullpen out and pick up a win.”
The Mariners transitioned Flexen to the bullpen three weeks ago after acquiring Luis Castillo ahead of the Trade Deadline. Doing so gave them six starters, and the logic was that Flexen’s stuff might play up better than Marco Gonzales, the other option.
@M_Hanny17 Mitch Haniger singles to left drives in Abraham Toro
Mariners Players Talk About Ichiro’s Legacy
Fans Celebrate Ichiro's Mariners Hall of Fame Induction
Mariners Hall of Fame Roundtable presented by Alaska Airlines
Your Seattle Mariners 2022 👉🏻 http://kingkaps7.mysite.com/blank_12.html
Guardians vs. Mariners Game Highlights (8/27/22) | MLB Highlights
Ichiro Mariners Hall of Fame Ceremony Tribute Video
Ichiro's Mariners Hall of Fame Induction: FULL SPEECH
Ichiro Mariners Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony
Mariners release 2023 schedule
Each team will play every other team for the first time in modern MLB history next season, which begins with a full slate of games on Thursday, March 30.
J-Rod's mega-deal driven by love, loyalty
Julio Rodríguez expressed his admiration for the Mariners organization, his teammates and fans after inking an extension that will keep him in Seattle for at least seven more seasons.
SEATTLE -- Frustration boiled over when Ty France was ejected in the fifth inning of Saturday’s 4-3 loss to the Guardians, an all-encapsulating moment to an aggravating night in which Seattle saw a two-run lead evaporate in the eighth inning.
Andrés Muñoz, who’s been among the game’s best leverage relievers, surrendered three runs for the first time since he gave up a walk-off grand slam in a May 22 outing in Boston, and the Mariners weren’t able to overcome just three hits, despite all of them leaving the yard.
Julio Rodríguez's Solo Homer (21)
The Mariners became the only MLB team in the Modern Era to hit three-plus homers in a game, but have no other baserunners, according to STATS, with blasts from Julio Rodríguez, Eugenio Suárez and Jake Lamb, the first for the Seattle native since he was acquired at the Trade Deadline. And it was shaping up to be
a big one for insurance before Cleveland rallied late with impressive execution.
Jake Lamb's Solo Homer (3)
Here’s how they rallied off Muñoz:
• Steven Kwan drew a full-count walk, but only after a borderline call in a 2-2 count went Kwan’s way.
• Amed Rosario hit an inside-out single on a 100.8 mph fastball in on his hands, an impressive display of hitting.
• José Ramírez punched a 101.1 mph fastball above the zone for an opposite-field, run-scoring double.
• Josh Naylor hit a groundout to first baseman Lamb, but the speedster Rosario scored easily.
• Andrés Giménez hit a flyout, but it was deep enough for a sacrifice that led to the game-winning run.
Guardians score three in the 8th
“You can see how good of stuff Muñoz has,” Guardians manager Terry Francona said. “You don't see [Ramírez] hit the ball down the left-field line very often. And he drops that slider like [Emmanuel] Clase. That's a pretty impressive inning for us because that kid is really, really good.”
Muñoz has been so solid with traffic, but there was enough evidence to suggest that Saturday’s showing was an outlier and more emblematic of one of MLB’s best contact-hitting teams striking late. Muñoz, after all, bested Ramírez in an epic, late-innings battle in the series opener, but the four-time All-Star Ramírez won the rematch.
The Mariners had the chance to respond in the eighth, but they were bit by another tight call when J.P. Crawford, in a 3-1 count, took a ball that Baseball Savant said was outside, but instead was called a strike, thus setting up Crawford to roll over into a groundout instead of reaching. Had he reached, there was a
chance that Crawford could’ve been on for Rodríguez after Cal Raleigh, but Raleigh was the third out.
Eugenio Suárez's Solo Homer (24)
“One pitch can affect the game,” Mariners manager Scott Servais said. “We talk about that all the time with our guys -- you’ve got to keep fighting, keep battling. If you watch the game on video, I haven’t seen a lot of it yet, I heard. But from my vantage point, there were a lot of very close calls that didn’t go our way.”
France was run by home-plate umpire Ted Barrett a half-inning after a called strikeout moments earlier. He asked for an explanation and voiced frustration, but he ultimately took first base and played the next half-inning. But he was ejected from the dugout after more conversing.
France, who entered the night hitting .125/.177/.167 (.344 OPS) in August and had been dramatically expanding his zone lately, was trying to focus on staying in the zone.
“We take a lot of pride in our plate discipline, and when those kinds of things happen, especially when it’s one after the other, it’s kind of tough,” France said. “But yeah, these games are important. We’re coming down the home stretch. It was a tough night.”
Television cameras zooming in on the dugout showed that the Mariners smashed roughly four to five helmets by the end of the night, underscoring the frustration of a game that snapped Seattle’s 51-0 record when leading after the seventh inning.
“Part of being a professional is that you’ve got to move on,” Servais said. “You’re not going to be able to change it. That doesn’t make it any easier.”
The night’s bright spot was the stellar start from Luis Castillo, featuring 10 strikeouts and just one run allowed, via a 415-foot homer from Ramírez in the fourth inning. Other than that, he gave up just three other hits and one walk.
Luis Castillo strikes out 10
SEATTLE -- The day was all about Julio Rodríguez and the bright future ahead after the rookie agreed to a megadeal guaranteeing $210 million. But the night ended on the shoulders of Seattle’s longest-tenured player.
Mitch Haniger delivered a game-winning, walk-off single in the bottom of the 11th inning that catapulted the Mariners to a thrilling, 3-2 victory over the Guardians on Friday night, in a game featuring all the ingredients to a postseason recipe.
The J-Rod Show Is Here To Stay
These teams in many ways mirror each other for their stellar defense, solid pitching, just enough offense and late-inning magic. If the season ended Friday, Seattle would visit Cleveland in the Wild Card Series to begin the postseason as the Nos. 6 and 3 seeds, respectively. All of those attributes were on display in
front of a ticketed 39,870 at T-Mobile Park.
“We’re trying to make the playoffs, trying to win a World Series,” Haniger said. “And it’s been a blast to play in front of these fans.”
For the second straight game, it was Haniger who drove in the decisive run, this time via a 106 mph screaming line drive into right field that scored automatic runner Dylan Moore from second base. Moore had a great read on the play and easily beat the throw from right fielder Oscar Gonzalez after it wasn’t cut off by
infielder Owen Miller.
Haniger also had a huge double in the bottom of the ninth; he swam around a tag by second baseman Andrés Giménez after the throw from left field that should have recorded an out. The walk-off heroics stole the show, but it was after the double when Haniger exhibited far more raw emotion -- fists clenched, on
one knee and screaming at the home dugout.
MLB Tonight on J-Rod's extension
Haniger's nifty slide at second
These moments underscored how much Haniger means to the Mariners after missing three-plus months with a high ankle sprain, but also, how much this playoff chase means to Haniger. The 31-year-old veteran has been here since 2017 -- before the roster teardown, through the player-development period that
followed, and on the other side of the rebuild. He’ll be a free agent at season’s end, whether it be after the regular season’s final day or deeper into October.
And in a year in which he’s visibly more open, less guarded and simply enjoying the ride, he’s bridging the intensity of his bar-none work ethic with the energy of his teammates and the fans.
"I feel like I've gotten knocked for being a little bit robotic, and rightfully so,” Haniger said. “But I want to win. I want to win just as much as anybody in this entire building. So absolutely. Big, close games, I'm going to get fired up."
Mitch Haniger after walk-off hit
Haniger is hitting .319/.380/.514 (.894 OPS) since returning from the injured list on Aug. 6, showing just how valuable his presence has been to a lineup that at times has lacked punch. He also had a three-run homer in Seattle’s 3-1 win in Thursday’s series opener.
But what’s gone unseen to the public has been the exhaustive work he put into returning from the ankle injury that he said was so painful it felt like he broke his leg. Haniger, widely viewed as perhaps the hardest-working players in Seattle's clubhouse, was so determined to keep his timing at the plate that he began
taking swings from one knee on a recovery scooter.
“I'm extremely happy for him, moreso just as a friend and just as a person on a human level,” said Marco Gonzales, the Mariners’ longest-tenured pitcher. “I mean, you see this guy bust his tail every single day and really have some bad luck with his injuries. And so to see him come back with kind of a vengeance to
prove that he is that type of player, that he’s the All-Star caliber player that we've seen in the past, I'm just happy for him as a friend.”
The high expectations that Haniger has for himself mirror the expectations he has for the team. Even during the Mariners’ rebuild in 2019-20 and when they were the surprise team in '21, he always stated that the goal isn’t to just reach the postseason, but to win the whole thing.
“Like I've said many times, the goal is to win the World Series,” Haniger said, “and to get this group to the playoffs and win the World Series. And I’m just happy to be back on the field contributing.”
You Can’t Talk About Ichiro Suzuki Without Talking About Iris Skinner, a.k.a. “Ichiro Girl”
Why Iris is the perfect person to deliver the ceremonial first pitch to kick off Ichiro’s Hall of Fame Weekend.
“As for Iris,” Rutherford began, “we knew we wanted to select people that had a special connection to Ichiro for this coming weekend and she just seemed like the perfect fit. The video of her reacting after she realized who it was that crashed into her seat is incredible!”
Mariners vs. Padres Game Highlights (7/4/22) MLB Highlights
Julio Rodríguez's Two-Run Homer
By Shaun O'Neill @oapostrophesd
SAN DIEGO -- Each time Chris Flexen takes the mound at Petco Park, it proves to be a memorable outing. Each time Julio Rodríguez steps onto a Major League field -- anywhere, any day -- he seems to do something extraordinary.
Both things held true Monday afternoon as the Mariners continued their recent surge with an 8-2 victory over the Padres at Petco Park. Flexen matched his career high with eight strikeouts while throwing 6 2/3 scoreless innings, his best outing of the season. Rodríguez, meanwhile, provided another visual delight of a home
run -- the 15th of his budding MLB career and one worthy of a Statcast deep dive.
Chris Flexen Strikes Out Eight
Mariners Take Opener Over Padres
The Mariners, winners of six of their past seven games, have taken four straight series and moved within two games of .500 at 40-42. By prevailing in the opener Monday, they have assured at least a split of the two-game cameo in San Diego.
“Great way to spend the Fourth of July,” manager Scott Servais said. “A complete game, really had it all going today.”
Cal Raleigh's Bases-Clearing Double
There were plenty of contributors to the latest victory, notably J.P Crawford (three hits in his first game back from suspension), Cal Raleigh (four RBIs) and Marcus Wilson (first MLB hit). But Flexen and Rodríguez had the Mariners well on their way before four innings were complete.
Let’s dive in on those two:
J-Rod with another jaw-dropper
The Mariners were up, 2-0, when Rodríguez came to the plate with a runner aboard in the top of the fourth inning. It quickly became 4-0 as the 21-year-old rookie crushed an inside changeup from veteran left-hander Sean Manaea on a 2-0 count. The ball climbed to the top deck of the Western Metal Supply Co. building
down the left-field line.
Julio Rodríguez's Laser to Left
It was only the 30th top shelf homer to that landmark feature during the regular season since Petco Park opened in 2004, according to Padres scoreboard information guru Jeff Praught. That’s notable enough, but it doesn’t completely explain the extraordinary nature of this home run.
Statcast captured 108.3 mph exit velocity, a 30-degree launch angle and projected distance of 429 feet. Against a changeup. Only five other home runs off changeups this year have matched or bettered all three of those metrics: two by Yordan Alvarez and one each by Garrett Cooper, Nelson Cruz and Kyle Schwarber.
“See it and hit it, I guess,” Rodríguez said. “That’s what I try to do every time I’m at the plate. Just be ready if you see something.”
None of those previous five were on pitches as far inside as the one Rodríguez crushed. Manaea got the ball a bit higher than intended, sure, but it was on the inside corner. Most hitters, if they do anything more than nub it up the third-base line, would pull it foul. Rodríguez, it has been established over his first 81 MLB
games, is not most hitters.
“He’s talented,” Servais said. “He’s not trying to hit home runs; he’s just trying to square up the ball. Home runs come in bunches, and he’s in one of those stretches right now. Everything he hits is getting in the air and is on the barrel. Pretty talented kid.”
Flexen flexes
Flexen made his big league debut at Petco Park in 2017, lasting three innings in a loss for the Mets. (Jacob deGrom pinch-hit for him in the top of the fourth that night.)
Flexen’s next appearance in Petco Park came with the Mariners last season, and it proved to be the right-hander’s shortest in the Majors: 1 2/3 innings with career worsts of 10 hits and eight runs allowed. That outing sparked a turnaround in Flexen’s 2021 season. He was 10-4 with a 3.17 ERA and 1.16 WHIP in 23 starts
thereafter.
Flexen complementing his usual barrage of weak contact with a season- and career-high-tying eight strikeouts.
Flexen got multiple whiffs from all four of his pitches -- fastball, cutter, slider and changeup en route to the eight strikeouts. He was able to pull out a K when he needed one, too -- striking out Luke Voit and Eric Hosmer with a runner in scoring position in the fourth inning.
“It’s a trend I hope continues,” Flexen added.
The performance Monday might indicate the spark for 2022 has already been lit. Flexen held the Padres to four singles and three walks, while recording his first scoreless start of the year. His ERA, an even 4.00, still is the caboose in the locomotive that is the Mariners’ rotation, but it’s now below the MLB average ERA of 4.01.
“It’s looking like Chris did last year,” said catcher Raleigh. “He does a really good job of competing each time.”
Tommy Milone Secures the Win
A's vs. Mariners Game Highlights (7/3/22) MLB Highlights
Ray Strikes Out 12, Julio Stays Hot in Mariners Win
Robbie Ray's 12 Strikeouts
SEATTLE -- If it wasn’t clear already, Robbie Ray is firmly back in Cy Young form.
The Mariners’ prized offseason acquisition dazzled in perhaps his best Seattle start yet, striking out a season-high 12 batters and holding Oakland scoreless until his final hitter in the seventh inning. He also threw 105 pitches, his most all year, surrendered just four hits, walked two and put Seattle’s struggling lineup on his
shoulders in a tight, 2-1 victory over Oakland on Sunday afternoon at T-Mobile Park.
All of the Mariners’ run production came via Julio Rodríguez, one day after the 21-year-old was named the AL Rookie of the Month for the second straight month, thanks to a solo shot on the very first pitch in the bottom of the first off Frankie Montas, and a 112.4 mph double into the left-center gap that scored Dylan Moore in
the sixth.
Julio Rodríguez's Leadoff HR
It's even Better in Slow-Mo.
Our sweet summer prince isn’t completely perfect, though. No, sometimes he makes a mistake. Today he made one, but only by mere inches, when he overshot the bag by a teeeeeeeeensy bit and was called out at 3rd. See below:
Those two were the vessels behind the Mariners’ fifth win in their past six games and 10 in the past 13, as they’ve now won four straight series and climbed back to three games under .500 (39-42) for the first time since May 15.
It’s been a promising trend, but the grander development is that the $115 million arm that they signed in December to be their ace has finally -- and truly -- looked every bit the part.
"We'll keep riding the Robbie Ray train,” manager Scott Servais said. “That's what we'll continue to do because he's really good."
Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports
Julio Rodríguez's RBI Double
Over his past five starts dating back to June 12, Ray has a 0.80 ERA with 40 strikeouts, and Seattle has won all but one of those games. The more telling benchmark for his turnaround was the start prior, when he added a two-seam fastball to his repertoire and has since seen incredible results.
Yet the two-seamer took a marginal backseat on Sunday, when he turned more heavily back to Public Enemy No. 1, the elite slider that he rode to five strikeouts and 11 swings and misses. Ray, despite his sky-high strikeout rate, isn’t necessarily hunting the K early in counts, instead trying to induce whiffs out of the zone to
set up the punchout. But the A’s weren’t biting early on Sunday, especially against the slider when it was below the zone, which prompted -- stop if you’ve heard this before -- a mid-game adjustment with catcher Cal Raleigh.
“The first couple innings, they weren’t really biting on the slider that was going down and in, backfoot,” Ray explained. “So we just tried to make an adjustment and stay on the plate a little more. I backdoored some sliders that I thought were really good. But just really focusing on, if we were going to go for the 0-2, 1-2, still
keep it on the plate, but below the zone.”
Paul Sewald Strikes out Vogt
Ray zeroed in more intently on landing the slider in the zone and trusting that it would generate whiffs and help set up his four-seam fastball for strikes near the top of the zone and above. He landed the latter for three punchouts in those quadrants, but it was also the culprit for his lone blemish, which came via a solo homer
to Elvis Andrus, his final batter.
“Even last time we faced him, before I think it was a lot easier to get an approach on him because it was mainly fastball in and the slider, so you can kind of take that middle-away strike zone out of the map,” Andrus said. “But now with the two-seamer and the curveball, I think he’s way more effective, especially when he
gets you to two strikes.”
These in-game adjustments are typical and necessary for any big league starter to have success and navigate deeper into games, but the Mariners have marveled at Ray’s aptitude to do so and how it’s rubbed off on younger arms like Logan Gilbert and rookie George Kirby. Seattle’s rotation over its past 35 starts has an MLB-
best 2.88 ERA dating back to May 27, right before Ray got back on track.
“When we talk about guys leading, you have to do it within the realm of your personality,” Servais said. “You can't try to fake it or be somebody that you're not because that doesn't work. And I think Robbie's very genuine. He's very down to Earth. But he wants this whole team to do well, and he knows that starting pitching
has a lot to do with it.”
When Ray signed in the winter, he talked about wanting to lead by “setting the tone” when describing his approach with his new teammates. The credibility of being the reigning AL Cy Young Award winner certainly carries weight, but it was nonetheless a new clubhouse. Collective success certainly helps, and the Mariners’
rotation -- and their No. 1 starter -- are on a roll.
“It’s been a pretty special run,” Ray said. “To watch all the guys and go in one after another, I feel like we're just looking to build on each other's outings and encouraging each other. It's just been really fun.”
Check out J-Rod's Solo Homer
It’s often easy to forget that baseball players are just like us. They eat, they breathe, and they can even make poor decisions (see: Julio annoying his coworker, Jesse, in the 3rd game of the season).
Sure, there’s a lot that separates professional baseball players from us plebes, like, say, a few million dollars worth of separation — but ultimately, they’re just like us.
Abraham Toro stepped up when it mattered most and provided the Mariners with a huge boost vs. Oakland.
A's vs. Mariners Game Highlights (7/2/22) MLB Highlights
Kirby Rolls, Upton Ties It, Toro Walks It Off in Comeback Win
Abraham Toro's Walk-Off Single
SEATTLE -- It was shaping up to be another tough day at T-Mobile Park, featuring a stellar start from the rotation and nothing but three bad-luck moments at the plate that led to no run support.
But the Mariners crept their way back with their fourth walk-off win of the year, a 2-1 victory over Oakland that could’ve easily gone the other way in a tense matinee. Facing a five-man infield, Abraham Toro sailed a 108 mph line drive into the right-center gap that handily scored Marcus Wilson from third base to set off a
celebration on the infield.
It was a much-needed victory in the context of the schedule, against a last-place club and the 17th contest in an 18-game stretch against teams under .500, a window in which Seattle is now 10-7. After Sunday’s series finale, the Mariners will head to San Diego for a two-gamer before returning home for four against Toronto.
Mariners complete the comeback
Here are three key moments that led to the victory:
Kirby shows ace-level stuff
The most prominent development was the superb showing from George Kirby, who completed seven innings, tying his career high from the Minors. He also racked up nine strikeouts, tying his season high, while throwing 100 pitches, more than any in a single start since he was selected in the first round of the 2019 Draft.
His lone blemish came via a rare, uncharacteristic walk -- leading off the game, to boot -- which came around to score and put the Mariners down immediately. Kirby, visibly frustrated with himself, went on to retire 19 of his final 21, including 13 straight at one point.
George Kirby Fans Nine
“I'm just trying to stay even-keeled all the time,” Kirby said. “I don't want to get too high or too low. I’ve just got to do a little better job, come out of the chute really aggressive. I think I've been lacking that a couple starts in a row.”
His biggest moment was completing the seventh against two lefties with southpaw Ryan Borucki warming. For a rookie in just his 11th career start, it was the type of sequence that he can build upon.
“I was super pumped to go back here for the seventh. It was really awesome,” Kirby said. “Big time. I needed this one. It's a good confidence booster.”
Kirby, who has now faced Oakland three times, has the second-highest strikeout-to-walk ratio (7.25) through a pitcher’s first 11 career Major League starts in AL/NL history (excluding openers), trailing only the Yankees’ Masahiro Tanaka, who posted a 7.33 mark in 2014.
“He had a really good fastball today,” said Oakland’s veteran catcher, Stephen Vogt. “It plays up from the miles per hour that you see. He’s got really good extension, and he lives at the top of the zone. He threw just enough curveballs to keep us honest, and his changeup is a pretty good pitch, too, when it’s located. He’s got
three plus pitches and throws the slider to righties as well.”
Overcoming the five-man infield
With no outs against A’s reliever Lou Trivino, acting manager Brad Ausmus opted to bring Ramón Laureano in from right field to play third base, and have the rest of the infield play on the grass. Toro, whose struggles this season have been well-chronicled, turned to the dugout and Eugenio Suárez, who gestured a deep breath
signaling not to overthink the moment.
“He just told me to calm down because it’s easy to get amped up in those situations,” Toro said. “I listened to him, took a deep breath and it worked out."
Abraham Toro on Walk-Off Hit
It was an odd and wild way to walk it off, but the Mariners will certainly take it.
Upton’s big homer
Seattle had been playing from behind nearly all afternoon and was down to its final four outs before Justin Upton broke through with a huge, game-tying homer in the eighth -- the 325th of his career, but the first as a pinch-hitter.
“I'm definitely not used to it, but I got a pinch-hit at-bat the other night,” Upton said. “You try to just find ways to figure it out. You've just got to try to change your mindset a little bit going into the box, and I was able to execute.”
Justin Upton's first HR as a Mariner came at the perfect time.
Justin Upton's game-tying HR
Justin Upton's first HR as a mariner ties the game
Upton is hitting just .152/.282/.273 (.555 OPS) in 12 games since joining the Mariners on June 17, but manager Scott Servais has pointed out that the 16-year veteran and four-time All-Star has brought in an intangible attribute that they were lacking: a veteran presence, something they haven’t really had among position
players since Mitch Haniger and Tom Murphy went down with significant injuries.
“He has done such a fantastic job in our clubhouse,” Servais said. “And I know the normal fan doesn't see that, but having that veteran around has really helped a lot of our guys. He speaks up in meetings. He's really adding a lot, and great to see him contribute.”
BACK-TO-BACK: Julio Rodríguez Wins Second Consecutive AL Rookie of the Month Award
Julio Rodríguez goes back-to-back, being named AL Rookie of the Month for June after also winning the award in May.
Marco Gonzales continues to be among Seattle's best starters. So why does the offense behind him struggle?
A's vs. Mariners Game Highlights (7/1/22) MLB HIghlights
By Daniel Kramer @DKramer_
SEATTLE -- It looked, sounded and -- based on the reaction from the gathered masses at T-Mobile Park -- felt like it was gone off the bat.
In the bottom of the seventh inning with the bases loaded and two outs and not much else brewing to that point on Friday night, Jesse Winker demolished a middle-middle fastball from A’s reliever Zach Jackson. But Winker again received a rude reminder of how challenging Seattle’s home park can be on hitters, as his 103.3
foot shot to straightaway center field died just shy of the wall, falling into Ramón Laureano’s glove to quash the would-be rally.
The Mariners didn’t get much else going in a 3-1 loss to last-place Oakland, and -- aside from Winker’s near heroics and a deep flyout by Cal Raleigh in the ninth -- Friday’s game featured the familiar formula that has been a culprit in keeping the club from climbing back to .500 (a standing that the team hasn't reached since
May 3): another strong showing from a starting pitcher, squandered by a lack of run support.
Marco Gonzales Fans Two Batters
Marco Gonzales threw six solid innings, but the two runs he surrendered proved decisive after the Mariners’ offense had just four hits and didn’t put a runner in scoring position until the sixth inning. Making matters more difficult to digest was that the offensive showing, or lack thereof, came against A’s starter James
Kaprielian, whom they had tagged for an .824 OPS and 6.26 ERA in seven appearances dating back to 2020.
Julio Rodríguez hit a one-out triple in the sixth that came a few feet shy of leaving the yard and scored when Winker hit a groundout in the next at-bat. But that represented the Mariners’ lone offensive showing. Even with Seattle having won eight of 10 coming into the weekend, it reinforced a consistent -- and nagging -- trend.
Dating back to May 27, Seattle’s rotation leads the Majors with a 2.98 ERA in 34 games following Gonzales’ outing on Friday, ahead of Boston (3.18) and Tampa Bay (3.21), which have been two of the Majors’ better teams overall in that stretch.
Seattle's rotation since May 27:
ERA: 2.98 (1st)
IP: 193 (2nd)
WHIP: 1.19 (7th)
OPS: .684 (7th)
LOB%: 83.4% (1st)
Run support average: 4.88 (14th)
Gonzales has been stung particularly hard by a lack of run support, despite putting together another strong season. Friday’s outing was his fourth straight quality start (three earned runs or fewer and at least six innings) and 10th overall, which leads the Mariners. Yet, overall, Seattle fell to 5-11 when he’s on the mound
compared to 32-31 behind everyone else.
“Right now, I’m just trying to have tunnel vision,” Gonzales said. “And just really focus on what I need to do to get better, make the guys around me better, and I feel like that's all we can control. So, I’m just going out there and keep working and keep competing.”
Sam Haggerty makes a superb sliding catch in right
Perhaps even more vital than the consistency from the rotation is that it has remained healthy all year after being besieged by injuries in 2021 to the point where 15 different pitchers made at least one start.
This year, they’ve used just six starters (not including a one-time opener): Gonzales, Robbie Ray, Logan Gilbert, Chris Flexen, George Kirby and Matt Brash, the last of whom is transitioning to a bullpen role in the Minors. Seattle is the only team in the Majors to have at least five different pitchers throw at least five quality
starts.
Moreover, that group has compiled 438 1/3 innings this season, second-most in the Majors to only San Diego, underscoring a starter’s inherent value to pitch deep into games -- a value that takes on deeper meaning in an era when bullpens are leaned on more than ever.
“That’s the vision from the start of Spring Training,” Gonzales said. “We have a tight-knit group and we learn from each other, we watch bullpens together, we compete against each other and root for each other at the same time. I’ve been proud of this group.”
The two runs plated against Gonzales on Friday were at the hands of Tony Kemp, who scored the first from third base on an RBI single by Sean Murphy in the fifth. The second, Kemp's single in the sixth, drove in Sheldon Neuse from second base. Both hits came with two outs.
Other than those hiccups, Gonzales felt good about surrendering just six hard-hit balls among the 24 in play, while pitching with traffic. Gonzales entered the night holding hitters to a .158/.250/.386 (.636 OPS) slash line with runners in scoring position. The timing of that sixth-inning at-bat from Kemp proved too costly,
thanks to a grander issue faced by the club lately.
The Mariners have been on the up the past two weeks, scoring 50 runs over their past 10 games coming into Friday -- but they’re still looking to do so more consistently for their longest-tenured starter.
Pressed into more regular playing time, Cal Raleigh is certainly making the most of his close-up so far.
PREVIEW: 7:10 PM PDT
Marco up next vs. A's
Watch on MLB.TV tonight: Marco Gonzales faces Oakland after going 7 strong in a win on June 21.
What a night at the ballpark #SeaUsRise
A's vs. Mariners Game Highlights (6/30/22) MLB Highlights
Cal Raleigh's Two-Run Triple
By Daniel Kramer @DKramer_
SEATTLE -- Cal Raleigh changed his walk-up tune on May 23, a transition from country to Outkast, the Atlanta rap icons who ruled the music scene during his childhood. And in a quirky coincidence, his new song’s title was an apt personification of his heroics during the Mariners’ 8-6 win over Oakland on Thursday night.
Raleigh raced around the bases for a Little League homer during the fifth inning, hitting his first career triple off center fielder Skye Bolt’s glove, then advancing home after second baseman Nick Allen sailed a throw past third base for an error after Raleigh had already slid in. The play sent the crowd at T-Mobile Park on Pride
Night into a roaring frenzy and evoked hilarious reactions from his teammates, two of which scored in the sequence.
Julio Rodríguez waved a towel after Raleigh sat down on the dugout bench, implying that the catcher was on fire. It wasn’t just how wild the moment was, but the player who orchestrated it -- the 6-foot-3, 235-pound switch-hitter, who ranks in the 36th percentile in sprint speed, per Statcast, but dialed it up to 26.9 feet per
second on the three bagger, lumbering his way around the bases.
“Obviously, it was a big hit,” Raleigh said. “I think it was a one-run game at that point and it put us up four runs, that was huge. And obviously it was just a cool moment. It was fun. Honestly, I felt like I was playing Little League again.”
Said manager Scott Servais, “As big as he is, he runs OK once he gets going.”
Raleigh again went for extra bases in the eighth with a double near the right-field corner, a ball that landed in territory that might’ve positioned him for a rare two-triple game, which would match his total for his entire Minor League career. But he joked that he didn’t quite have the juice to finish it off.
“I didn’t see the ball at first, so I kind of got a slow start out of the box,” Raleigh said. “Then by the time I got to second, I was gassed. I should’ve tried to do it. Why not?”
Julio Rodríguez in June:
6 HR (1st among AL rookies)
1.3 fWAR (1st among AL rookies)
160 wRC+ (1st among AL rookies)
54 total bases (1st among AL rookies)
42 times on base (1st among AL rookies)
Julio Rodríguez's Solo Homer
Raleigh’s contributions came on a night where the Mariners felt another repercussion from their benches-clearing fight in Anaheim last weekend, as shortstop J.P. Crawford began his suspension after filing an appeal. Jesse Winker will follow, and Rodríguez, too, if his appeal is not overturned. That puts even more onus on
other hitters, but especially Raleigh, given how strong of a run he’s on.
In 30 games dating back to May 23 -- coincidentally, the day he changed his walkup song -- Raleigh is hitting .250/.319/.560 (.879 OPS), way up from the .087/.208/.283 (.490 OPS) slash line he had in his first 19 games of 2022, part of which led to a Minor League demotion in late April. But with a season-ending injury to
Tom Murphy and Luis Torrens on the 10-day IL, and when healthy, not showing nearly as much consistency as last year, the starting gig has firmly become Raleigh’s.
sustained in Sunday’s fight, their only other option is Andrew Knapp, who has a .432 OPS in 73 games the past two seasons and was signed to a Minor League contract on May 21, and then selected from Triple-A Tacoma when Torrens was shelved on Monday.
Julio Rodríguez's Sliding Catch
Knapp will start as soon as Friday, per Servais, and see some sparing time while Torrens recovers. Servais, an 11-year big league backstop, is balancing the need for Raleigh and the wear-and-tear of catching as the season isn’t even half over. Servais opted not to use Raleigh as the DH for Sunday’s day game, in order to
allocate him a full off-day, and he said that Raleigh will likely sit on Friday for that very reason.
“You can't plan it, so to speak. You don't know when young guys are going to figure it out,” Servais said. “If you just continue to give them opportunities and coach them up, talk to them, listen to them. And I think that's what we've done with a lot of our guys. I couldn't be any happier for him. He's played a ton.”
Oakland didn’t go quietly, stringing together two hits and a walk to grab a run in the eighth against the red-hot Diego Castillo.
Logan Gilbert's Amazing Grab
Paul struck out the other three hitters he faced.
Phew! Now that was a game worthy of Pride Night.
No, the new walkup tune isn’t the cause for Raleigh’s rise, though it is a fun coincidence. The true factors have been a combination of being better on time for fastballs, which has helped him see breaking balls better -- such as the slider he dug out for the triple -- as well as shortening his swing and not selling out as much for
power.
But perhaps the biggest of all, especially after a tough rookie season, is confidence.
“It’s what I’ve always wanted -- I want to be the starting catcher for a big league team,” Raleigh said. “And I’m getting a chance to do that right now, and it’s everything I’ve hoped for. I love it.”
Early work for Ty France…
VMFH Mariners Routine Check-Up: George Kirby
Dan “The Man” Wilson catches up with George Kirby on his first season in the big leagues, his Major League debut and more in the our latest episode of VMFH Mariners Routine Check-Up. Be sure to schedule your routine check-up with Virginia Mason Franciscan Health today at vmfh.org.
Julio Rodríguez's towering 2-run blast showed just how important a piece he's becoming for this Seattle squad.
PREVIEW: 7:10 PM PDT
Seattle welcomes the A's
Watch live on MLB.TV: Logan Gilbert looks for his eighth quality start in his last nine appearances on Thursday.
Orioles vs. Mariners Game Highlights (6/29/22) MLB Highlights
Julio Rodríguez's Two-Run Homer
Julio Rodriguez. If you were anywhere in King County, I’m sure you were able to hear what happened next.
431 feet. 109 mph off the bat. Into the left field bleachers. We haven’t seen a home run like that at T-Mobile Park in a long time. Not infield chaos, but instead a majestic arc to bust the game wide open. Is it possible that we’re underappreciating Julio?
SEATTLE -- The stamp he left on this week’s series has Julio Rodríguez in a strong position to win consecutive AL Rookie of the Month Awards, perhaps quietly leading to stronger All-Star consideration as voting heats up. But it’s the looming possibility of a two-game suspension that has heightened the urgency of how much
the Mariners have needed him.
Nearly every hitter chipped in during Seattle’s 9-3 win over Baltimore on Wednesday afternoon at T-Mobile Park, yet Rodríguez had the most dramatic contribution -- a towering, 431-foot homer that landed above both bullpens and into the upper deck beyond left field. It was a two-run shot as part of a six-spot that the
Mariners put up in the fourth inning that helped them win this three-game series.
Seattle has now won seven of its past nine and will need to go at least 11-5 in order to reach the All-Star break above .500, a record that will come with the sky-high challenge of accomplishing without Rodríguez, Jesse Winker and J.P. Crawford for part of that stretch if their suspensions from the melee in Anaheim are
upheld. Wednesday was another big reminder why, even with key contributions from the bottom of the order.
Mariners Score 9 to Win Series Finale
DEBUT
Wilson made his debut in the majors as a pinch-hitter in the eighth inning and walked. Wilson, 25, was a second-round pick by Arizona in 2014. He was claimed off waivers by Seattle last year.
Rodríguez dug out a hanging slider from Nick Vespi in a 2-1 count and pummeled it 109.3 mph, watched his 12th of the year sail with a wide grin and then flipped his bat down the first-base line, tomahawk style. It was a part of the park that only the Majors’ elite right-handed sluggers typically reach. Rodríguez is just 21
years old, but Wednesday’s homer was another tangible token to his already elite power and bat speed.
“I think the whole organization, the Seattle fan base, everything -- this guy is some kind of special,” Mariners manager Scott Servais said. “We're watching it play out before our eyes. That's a long way to home run in this ballpark. You don't see it too often. He's been right on everything all series.”
Rodríguez also had a 109 mph sacrifice fly in the second inning in a 2-2 count, a sequence in which he shortened his swing and was simply trying to put something in play. For all of the components to his offensive profile, the biggest step forward that Rodríguez has honed in on has been his two-strike approach. In April, he
was 4-for-46 in those sequences (granted, many of those results hinged on pitches called clearly out of the zone), then he advanced to 9-for-56 in May and is 11-for-52 in June.
“At the beginning of the year, I was a little all over the place kind of,” Rodríguez said. “I was new to the neighborhood and kind of like just getting my feet on the ground to just settle in, I feel like that’s been my biggest adjustment.”
64 games since.
For the season, he now leads all Mariners position players with 2.4 wins above replacement, per FanGraphs, having passed Ty France, who is on the 10-day injured list.
Most wins above replacement among rookies (per FanGraphs)
1-t) Julio Rodríguez (SEA): 2.4
1-t) Jeremy Peña (HOU): 2.4
3) Bobby Witt Jr. (KC): 1.8
4) Brendan Donovan (STL): 1.5
5) Michael Harris II (ATL): 1.4
Julio Rodríguez's sacrifice fly
“He hits the ball as hard as anybody in the league on a consistent basis,” Servais said. “And he's just kind of getting into his power. He's a good hitter, and the power is going to come and we're starting to see it come right now. You never know -- he might show up in L.A. for an All-Star Game.”
Rodríguez was also was a key vessel in Tuesday’s 2-0 win, having dodged a tag from O’s first baseman Ryan Mountcastle on the would-be third out of the eighth inning that would’ve kept a scoreless tie intact. Robbie Ray afterward marveled at the rookie’s hustle. Then, Rodríguez followed it with arguably his most impressive
homer yet.
“I feel pretty good about the year that I’m having, and I feel pretty good about the way that I’m helping the team,” Rodríguez said.
Sam Haggerty's RBI double
Rodríguez said after Wednesday’s game that his agents are still sorting out his appeal with the MLB Players Association against the two-game ban he received for his actions relating to Sunday’s ugly incident in Anaheim. Typically in these situations, the entire suspension is not revoked, which would mean that, in a best-case
scenario, Rodríguez would miss one game if it’s trimmed at all.
And as he exhibited in this week’s series against Baltimore, his presence in every game is vital.
The Mariners were clutch late to break the stalemate, and their pitchers, led by Robbie Ray, sealed the win.
Orioles vs. Mariners Game Highlights (6/28/22) MLB Highlights
Winker's go-ahead two-run double
By Daniel Kramer @DKramer_
SEATTLE -- A combination of game-winning hustle, a solid two-strike approach, the support of the home crowd after a tense weekend in Anaheim and a dose of the clutch helped the Mariners narrowly eke out a 2-0 win over the Orioles on Tuesday night at T-Mobile Park.
And the go-ahead sequence -- with two outs in the bottom of the eighth inning -- was single-handedly orchestrated by the threesome that was sanctioned a day ago due to the benches-clearing incident against the Angels.
J.P. Crawford laced an opposite-field single on a breaking ball from lefty Cionel Pérez, Julio Rodríguez followed with one of the most bizarre infield singles by dodging a tag from O’s first baseman Ryan Mountcastle and Jesse Winker capped it off by scoring them both on a double off the right-center field wall that was nearly
caught by Austin Hays.
Because Crawford, Rodríguez and Winker are appealing their suspensions, they are allowed to continue playing until that process is complete. Tuesday offered a reminder of how much Seattle’s offense will miss them if and when they’re shelved, but also, an urgency to take advantage of their presence while they’re here.
Mariners fans giving a Standing Ovation to their hero Jesse Winker after yesterdays brawl
Some heads-up baserunning by J.P. Crawford and Julio Rodríguez -- and some good luck -- has put runners on the corners with two outs in the 8th inning instead of ending it. A look at the bang-bang play:
“Really, really big,” Mariners manager Scott Servais said. “You can't just say, ‘Two out, nobody on. What are our chances?’ You keep grinding. You keep fighting.”
Winker has received roaring ovations in the two days since he was front-and-center of the fracas at Angel Stadium, and none louder than after his critical hit on Tuesday, which came in an 0-2 count and against a high-and-away splitter from Félix Bautista. He nearly left the yard, too, going 402 feet to the deepest point of the
ballpark before it caromed off the wall -- and almost in Hays’ glove. Statcast said the hit would’ve left all but just two other ballparks.
But the at-bat before was even wilder, when Rodríguez lined a 99.4 mph fastball back to the mound, off Bautista’s foot and toward the first-base line. Mountcastle lost possession of the ball on the transfer between scooping it and applying the tag on Seattle’s rookie, who was diving at an angle toward the bag and successfully
attempting to dodge. Meanwhile, Crawford was racing around second, and Mountcastle wasn’t aware that Rodríguez hadn’t touched first, so he instead hauled the ball to third, leaving everybody safe.
“I was able to make hard contact and haul it down to first base, whenever I saw [Mountcastle], I was basically trying to slide away,” Rodríguez explained. “He tagged me, but the ball came out and he definitely didn’t know that I didn’t touch the bag, which was pretty cool. … I couldn’t because whenever he tried to tag me, I
went around, but he didn’t see me, which was perfect.”
Some heads-up baserunning by J.P. Crawford and Julio Rodríguez -- and some good luck -- has put runners on the corners with two outs in the 8th inning instead of ending it. A look at the bang-bang play:
Paul Sewald earns the save
The hustle was hugely appreciated by his starting pitcher, Robbie Ray.
“What Julio did, that’s what you teach guys to do,” Ray said. “You play the game as hard as you can, and busting it down the line and scrambling to the bag. And then Jesse what he did, hitting one off the wall. That's just hard-nosed baseball, and that's how you're supposed to play the game. Julio is a special player, and it's
really fun to watch when he gets going like that.”
Two runs is rarely a recipe for success, but the Mariners’ dominant pitching effort allowed just one hit while completing their fifth shutout.
Speaking of...
Ray pitching like a Cy
It’s taken a little more than two months into his first year in Seattle, but Robbie Ray appears to be back into Cy Young form.
Robbie Ray spun a 𝙂𝙚𝙢 7 IP | 0 R | 1 H | 8 K | 98 pitches
Robbie Ray fans eight
Ray’s efficiency going forward.
Over his past four starts, Ray has given up just two earned runs in 27 innings for a 0.67 ERA with just 11 hits allowed and 36 strikeouts to 100 batters faced, with opposing hitters slashing .122/.210/.189 (.399 OPS) against him.
This run actually began one start prior, a June 6 outing in Houston, in which he added a two-seam fastball in the third inning after the Astros were all over him. The installation and thought process has been well chronicled, and the ensuing results have been off the charts. He again used the two-seamer more than any other
pitch on Tuesday, and its effectiveness has better opened up the rest of his arsenal.
Smooth tag by @TheRealSlamtana!
“He is some kind of competitor,” Servais said. “He's got great stuff and he's a pretty good athlete to be able to make those adjustments that quickly and take them right in the game. So it says a ton about not just the competitor he is, but the athlete, the pitcher he is. He's a pretty special dude. Glad we got him.”
The Mariners’ lineup managing just four hits before the eighth was shaping up for another quiet night, and the looming absences of the top three in the lineup is still on the horizon. But Ray finding his footing is a far grander development for the Mariners as they eye the second half.
George Kirby's solid June ended harshly with seven runs allowed, including two sets of back-to-back dingers.
PREVIEW: 7:10 PM PDT
Ray gets rematch vs. O's
Watch on MLB.TV: Robbie Ray, coming off 3 straight quality starts, looks to solve the Orioles tonight.
Orioles vs. Mariners Game Highlights (6/27/22) MLB Highlights
By Daniel Kramer @DKramer_
SEATTLE -- The Mariners reunited with an old friend on Monday, acquiring veteran first baseman and designated hitter Carlos Santana from the Royals in exchange for right-handers Wyatt Mills and William Fleming, both prospects.
Santana was actually a Mariner for 10 days in December 2018, acquired from Philadelphia in the trade that also netted J.P. Crawford and sent Jean Segura to the Phils, one of the many early transactions of Seattle’s rebuild. He was then flipped to Tampa Bay in a three-team trade that involved the Mariners acquiring Edwin
Encarnación.
“Every time I see Carlos, I joke with him about that,” Mariners manager Scott Servais said. “I say, ‘You're the favorite player I've never managed.’ He likes it and we have a good time with it. Obviously, he’s a tremendous clubhouse guy, a really good teammate, a switch-hitter who gets on base. Maybe the overall numbers
don't look great this year, but I know he's been hot here in recent times, and hopefully he can help us out.”
TRADE DETAILS
Mariners get: 1B/DH Carlos Santana, cash considerations
Royals get: RHP Wyatt Mills, RHP William Fleming
Santana, 36, is in the latter stages of his career, which is in its 13th season. In 52 games this year, he’s hitting .216/.349/.341 (.690 OPS) with four homers and 21 RBIs, and he’s been worth 104 wRC+ (league average is 100) and 0.4 wins above replacement, per FanGraphs.
Santana was in transit on Monday and not available for the club’s 9-2 series-opening loss to Baltimore, though he’s expected to be installed on Tuesday.
Santana will see time at first base while Ty France recovers from a left elbow strain that landed him on the 10-day injured list on Saturday (retroactive to Friday). France’s initially scary prognosis has actually turned far more positive in recent days, as the All-Star candidate swung in the batting cage when the club returned to
T-Mobile Park on Monday.
Santana, who will be a free agent at season’s end, is earning $10.5 million this year, and it’s unclear how much the Mariners are absorbing, but a source told MLB.com Royals reporter Anne Rogers that Kansas City is sending most of it.
A 2019 All-Star and Silver Slugger Award winner, Santana isn’t necessarily the blockbuster splash that fans have clamored for in the days since France went down, but he could be an upgrade from the options they already had, including Kevin Padlo and Drew Ellis, who were waiver claims earlier this month.
Santana’s overall numbers this year haven’t been elite, but he’s been on a strong run in June, hitting .357/.478/.554 (1.032 OPS), production that the Mariners are banking on stays consistent.
It’s not just France who’s out, but also Kyle Lewis and Mitch Haniger, putting the club down three of its most productive hitters, though Haniger has begun jogging and Lewis is nearing a rehab assignment.
Santana still packs some pop, ranking in the 73rd percentile in average exit velocity and the 61st in hard-hit rate, per Statcast.
The guys they gave up
• Mills, a former Gonzaga University standout, has pitched in eight games this season after appearing in 11 last year. He was a Top 30 prospect but he never had a consistent opportunity in the big leagues. He carried a career 7.59 ERA in the Majors and had a 1.83 mark this year in 19 2/3 innings at Triple-A Tacoma.
• Fleming, a 2021 Draft pick out of Wake Forest University, has made 14 starts for Single-A Modesto with a 6-6 record and 4.92 ERA. He was more of a bullpen guy, but they wanted to stretch him out as a starter to see how he’d develop.
Frustrations bubbled for the Mariners after a HBP to Jesse Winker cleared both benches in the loss.
Mariners vs. Angels Game Highlights (6/26/22) MLB Highlights
By Daniel Kramer @DKramer_ By Sarah Wexler @SarahWexler32
ANAHEIM -- Tensions reached an ugly tipping point during the Mariners-Angels matinee on Sunday when both benches and bullpens cleared, punches were thrown from players and coaches on each team and multiple ejections ensued after Jesse Winker took a 91.1 mph fastball from Andrew Wantz off his right hip in the top of the second inning.
The fracas spilled over in front of the Angels’ dugout on the third-base line and lasted more than six minutes, subsided, then resumed in fair territory between the mound and third base, halting play for approximately 17 minutes in an eventual 2-1 Angels win at Angel Stadium.
Warnings had already been issued in the first when Wantz threw a 92.9 mph fastball behind star rookie Julio Rodríguez, but tempers had been boiling the night prior, when Mike Trout dodged an up-and-in, 95 mph fastball from Mariners reliever Erik Swanson.
Winker went full double birds to the crowd
That dot in the uppermost left would have hit Mike Trout in the helmet if Trout hadn’t gotten out of the way, which, it is worth pointing out, he did.
Trout thrown at by Swanson
As you can see from the video, this pitch came in the ninth inning of a two-run game with the tying run at the plate, not the middle of a blowout.
Wantz throws behind Rodríguez
Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images
Keep in mind, this is the same team that Shohei Ohtani plays on—the guy who dances out of the box and gives a “can-you-believe-it” look every time there’s a pitch on the inner half of the plate. Like last night:
Now, in fairness, maybe Trout got so worked up because his teammate was hit in the head the last time these teams played each other. I believe we have video of that.
Ah, yes, that’s right. Justin Upton plays for the Mariners now, and it was Mike Trout’s Angels that hit a batter in the head.
Anthony Rendon known left hander
After being hit on Sunday, Winker held his left hand up, exchanged words with Wantz and took a few steps toward first base alongside home-plate umpire John Bacon and Angels catcher Max Stassi, but he then ran toward the Halos’ dugout.
Bacon and then third-base umpire Adrian Johnson attempted to restrain the left fielder, but he wrestled out of the hold and charged toward Angels third baseman Anthony Rendon, and both threw their hands at each other's faces. And by that point, the majority of players from both teams were in the thick of the scrum.
“It didn't really matter what was said,” Winker said. “They threw a ball over Julio's head, and I wasn't really trying to talk to anybody."
After the brawl had mostly subsided, more words were exchanged and the scrum of both teams continued pushing and shoving into fair territory, with multiple players being dragged to the ground.
Vocal arguments then continued from afar as Bacon and his staff sorted out ejections. And after both teams were fully separated, Winker gestured toward the Angels’ fans while walking behind home plate and heading toward Seattle’s dugout.
Scott Servais on benches clearing
The following players and staff were ejected:
• Mariners: Scott Servais, Jesse Winker, Julio Rodríguez, J.P. Crawford
• Angels: Phil Nevin, Raisel Iglesias, Ryan Tepera, Andrew Wantz
Upon being told of his ejection, Iglesias expressed his frustration by throwing a container of sunflower seeds onto the field.
“I don't have [any issues] with Winker,” Iglesias said through interpreter Manny Del Campo. “I didn't say anything to him. I don’t know why they ejected me, because I didn't throw a punch, I didn't do anything. So that's why I was upset.”
Iglesias hurls container of seeds
Raisel Iglesias goes off:
Wantz was announced as the Angels’ opener when their clubhouse opened on Sunday morning, a change made by Angels manager Phil Nevin to instead have José Suarez, the original starter, follow Wantz. Suarez was then installed after Wantz was ejected.
Both fastballs from Wantz -- the one behind Rodríguez and the one that hit Winker -- were on the first pitch of each at-bat.
Swanson said after Saturday’s game, a 5-3 Mariners win, that his high-and-in pitch to Trout was one that got away when he was attempting to jam the Angels’ superstar at his weakest part of the strike zone. But Trout was noticeably frustrated at the offering, saying, “If you can’t pitch inside, don’t pitch inside. If you’re going
to hit me, hit me in the ribs, don’t hit me in the head. I don’t know if that was the intent, but anything at the head, you don’t do that.”
The lone offensive bright spot was Abraham Toro hitting a home run, off a lefty no less.
On the other side of the ball, though, Marco Gonzales had a classically Marco Gonzales day, by which I mean his FIP went up, but his ERA went down. Marco buckled down to get through six innings without damage, most impressively getting Mike Trout to strike out looking and collecting groundball after groundball.
Johnson, the crew chief, explained why warnings weren’t issued pregame: "I’m not aware of the incident with Trout from last night. You’re talking about the pitch that went over his head. That was nothing for us to issue warnings today. What happened today was a guy got hit. We had warnings in. Eight guys were ejected."
Nevin downplayed the situation, both Saturday night and again Sunday morning. Then, after the series finale, he elaborated on the strain that had been brewing.
“I mean, you play eight games in a matter of a week against the same team, things like this happen,” Nevin said. “Tensions just [grow]. That's baseball sometimes. Unfortunately, there's some ugly incidents once in a while, and I think that's just what happened today.”
“I was pretty amped up for my first start, and the first one kind of just got away from me,” Wantz said. “I was sweaty. It's the first day game I've pitched in. That's that. The second one to Winker was a cut fastball inside and just yanked it. That's all I’ve got to say.”
The umpiring crew reported the incident to Major League Baseball, and it’s likely both teams will see suspensions and fines handed out in the next few days after the league has had the chance to review the specifics.
Benches clear after Wantz hits Winker
These division rivals hadn’t met for the first time until last weekend in Seattle, more than two months into the schedule, due to the delayed start caused by the lockout. And through eight games in the past 11 days, there have been seven HBP instances, including Winker.
The most notable HBP before Sunday occurred when Mariners outfielder Justin Upton -- who played five seasons in Anaheim before being released in April -- took a 90.6 mph fastball off his helmet from Michael Lorenzen on June 17. Upton exited that game but returned the next day as a DH, and Servais said after the game
and the following day that he didn’t think it was intentional. Lorenzen, who was upset after the incident, said after that the new, slicker grip on the baseballs this year was the cause.
Earlier in that game, Robbie Ray hit Luis Rengifo with a 93.9 mph fastball, up, in and on his hands, and that was the first HBP from either team against each other this season.
“Like I said, eight games in a matter of, what, 10 days against the same team or however many it was, these things happen,” Nevin said. “You see it happen in the Minor Leagues a lot, they’re playing these six-game series now, and when you get somebody for that long and I mean, we have several more with them this year,
I just think that kind of plays a big part of this.”
Nonetheless, the Mariners said they didn’t think there was lingering tension coming into Sunday.
“I don't think so. I think the tension was on their side,” Mariners starter Marco Gonzales said. “We didn’t feel like there was anything that should’ve carried over. We were trying to win a game last night in the ninth inning.”
Suspensions are likely looming for both sides in the coming days. For Seattle, it’s possible that they’ll be without Winker, Crawford and Rodríguez, who are perhaps their most critical offensive contributors now that Ty France is on the 10-day IL.
These teams face each other another 11 times this year, but not until the first weekend of August, which features a Saturday doubleheader to make up for games that were postponed due to the lockout.
But will the tensions linger on for the next six weeks until then?
"Honestly, we'll see,” Crawford said. “I don't know. We'll see."
Seattle rolled the dice again and walked Mike Trout in a critical situation. The result? Another Mariners win.
Mariners vs. Angels Game Highlights (6/25/22) MLB Highlights
ANAHEIM -- Walk Mike Trout to bring the winning run to the plate? Walk Mike Trout to bring the winning run to the plate.
That was the logic in the Mariners’ dugout during another tense win over the Angels on Saturday night, a 5-3 contest that extended Seattle’s win streak to a season-high five. The club also supplanted the Angels for third place in the AL West, a standing it hasn’t reached since May 16.
And the victory, in huge part, hinged again on Mariners manager Scott Servais up against a late-inning predicament of what to do against Trout, with the stakes even tighter than those he faced the night prior. The Angels’ superstar stepped to the plate as the tying run with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning
against Erik Swanson, which prompted a quick consultation with pitching coach Pete Woodworth and the rest of the infield before the at-bat.
Swanson fell behind 2-0, the second pitch a 95 mph fastball that sailed up and in and to the backstop, at which point Servais opted to put Trout on first. That brought up Shohei Ohtani -- who hit one of MLB’s most staggering home runs of the season, a 462-foot shot in the third -- and risked a potential walk-off against the
reigning AL MVP. But Swanson dropped a splitter below the zone that Ohtani couldn’t quite barrel up, instead hitting a 104.2 mph flyout, 345 feet to right field to end the game.
Another night, another crisis averted.
Julio Rodríguez Goes Yard in Mariners Win
The bullpen was lights out and Julio Rodríguez goes deep again in the Mariners 5-3 win over the Angels. Presented by Phillips 76.
One week after Trout crushed five homers in Seattle, the Mariners have mostly dodged his damage this weekend at Angel Stadium -- but doing so has involved risk. There typically always is against the three-time AL MVP, whether pitching to him or not.
“It’s not ‘baseball by the book,’ so to speak,” Servais said. “You can’t play it by the book. You can’t play scared. You’re going to have to roll the dice once in a while. I know a great hitter is coming up in Ohtani. He hit the ball really hard, and we caught a break. We were able to catch one. Again, you’ve got to roll the dice once
in a while on those things.”
Swanson helped continue Seattle’s winning streak by, in unison, capping the Mariners’ fifth straight shutout from its relievers, who’ve been scoreless in 15 1/3 combined innings on this undefeated road trip. Yet to do so, he had to flush out the stakes and zero back in after a tense miss to Trout that evoked chirping from the
Angels’ dugout.
“You’ve got another out you’ve got to get,” Swanson said. “You’re trying to win a ballgame. You’re trying to get [Ohtani] out. You can’t really be thinking about a guy on second and a guy on first. The guy at the plate is the last out of the game, and I’ve got to get it.”
Trout was frustrated with the high-and-in heater that preceded the walk, saying, “If you can’t pitch inside, don’t pitch inside. If you’re going to hit me, hit me in the ribs, don’t hit me in the head. I don’t know if that was the intent, but anything at the head, you don’t do that.”
Swanson said he was zeroing in on Trout’s weakest quadrants of the strike zone, which is the upper rail.
“You’re trying to go up right there,” Swanson said. “If I’m going to miss up, that’s where I want to miss, especially to a hitter like that. The guy is one of, if not the best, hitters in the entire league, and if I’m going to miss, I need to miss up with that.”
Swanson pushed Seattle to the finish line, but the contributions from Penn Murfee, Ryan Borucki and Diego Castillo were just as critical on a night where the Mariners’ bats -- despite five runs -- stranded 12 baserunners and went 2-for-16 with runners in scoring position.
After leaving the bases loaded in the second and third, they finally broke through in the sixth when Jesse Winker drew a two-out, game-tying walk and Kevin Padlo followed by punching a two-run single into right field. Dylan Moore plated an insurance run with a one-out sacrifice fly an inning later.
Kevin Padlo Laces Two-Run Single
“You can feel it, guys know those at-bats are important,” Servais said. “They know we’re struggling there. I felt like it was a big sigh of relief when Padlo got the big hit, and I thought we were better after that.”
Despite surrendering two solo homers and an RBI single to his final batter, Logan Gilbert put the offense in a favorable spot as he continues his All-Star bid, carrying a 2.44 ERA through 15 starts, of which the Mariners have won 10.
That effort, and a roll of the dice, has put Seattle in position to sweep its six-game road trip.
Julio Rodríguez Shines in Rookie Season
Julio Rodríguez has made a name for himself thus far in his rookie campaign with the Mariners—and the sky’s the limit.
Mariners vs. Angels Game Highlights (6/24/22) MLB Hightlights
ANAHEIM -- The Mariners were flirting with the possibility of beating themselves in an eventual 4-3 victory at Angel Stadium on Friday by stranding a season-high 16 baserunners. But they were determined to not get beat by Mike Trout.
The three-time AL MVP, who homered against them five times last weekend in Seattle and again in the fourth inning of this series opener, stepped to the plate as the tying run against flamethrowing reliever Andrés Muñoz with one out in the eighth. The moment loomed with such inevitability as the tense, three-hour, 41-
minute contest pressed on, especially as Seattle left multiple runners stranded five times.
Muñoz fell behind 3-0 and was purposefully nowhere near the plate in that sequence, at which point Mariners manager Scott Servais did something that he hadn’t since Aug. 18, 2016 -- he intentionally walked Trout and rolled the dice with the right-handed Muñoz against Shohei Ohtani and Jared Walsh, two elite lefty sluggers.
Geno Brings Home J-Rod for the Early Lead
Servais, who was burned last weekend for pitching to Trout in a similar situation, wasn’t going to give the nine-time All-Star anything he could do damage with.
“That would have been a bad decision,” Servais said. “We've learned a little bit. Again, I think Muñoz did a nice job working around the edges, and then we fell behind in the count and just put him on base and [were going to] make the other two guys get us."
I see, something like what you hit tonight?
You know, the thing about this job is that they always give themselves up. I often wonder why that is. Oh, please don’t try to run. Sergeants Muñoz and Sewald have the building locked down.
Ohtani swung out of his shoes on a 100 mph fastball in an 0-2 count, and then Walsh whiffed on top of a 90.8 mph slider that nastily dipped below the zone on a 2-2 count. Dice rolled, crisis averted, and Trout -- the Mariners’ tormenter more than any individual player of his era -- was left watching on first base.
"You just pass the baton,” Trout said. “Ohtani has been hot, but he just came up short."
Muñoz recorded five outs and pitched on consecutive days, a combination that’s a first for him this year as the Mariners slowly ease off the training wheels for the 23-year-old. He entered one inning prior, the seventh, with runners on first and second but induced a huge, inning-ending double play to clean up a jam created by
two singles surrendered by Erik Swanson.
“The adrenaline helps,” Muñoz said through interpreter Manny Acta. “Coming in with guys on base, that really pushes me.”
Chris Flexen Fans Three
It was one of three double plays that the Mariners turned, all to end the inning, which proved hugely critical in halting any Angels momentum -- particularly for Chris Flexen, who put together a serviceable five-plus innings, but was tagged for a hard-hit ball on eight of the 15 put in play. Damage loomed, but his defense
mostly shut the door.
The only runs that Flexen surrendered were from Trout, who pummeled an inside fastball that bled too far middle for a 422-foot solo homer that led off the fourth, then an RBI triple on a 111.8 mph line drive that had so much topspin that it deceived Julio Rodríguez off the bat and sailed right over the center fielder’s head.
Even Trout suggested to the rookie in between innings that it was an incredibly challenging ball to read.
“He literally told me, ‘I’ve never seen something like that.’ And he’s the one who hit it,” said Rodríguez, who hooked a solo homer narrowly inside the left-field foul pole in the fourth, his 10th of the year.
Julio Rodríguez's Solo Home Run
Eugenio Suárez also had an impressive snag-and-throw from the deepest point of the dirt on the third-base line to back Paul Sewald with the second out in the ninth. But by that point, the Mariners were already through the meat of the order -- and Trout.
Eugenio Suárez's Backhanded Grab
Trout’s homer was his 53rd against Seattle, pushing him ahead of Rafael Palmeiro for the most all-time against the Mariners. He still had a stamp on the game with two critical hits, but the Mariners only faced him once in four at-bats with a runner on base, a formula they believe, more often than not, will lead to success.
“His career speaks for itself,” Flexen said. “He’s a tremendous hitter. He’s a guy that’s fun to go against.”
All of a sudden, after a deflating homestand in which players admitted they felt the season was slipping away, the Mariners have won four in a row for the first time since April 26. There’s still an uphill climb, especially within their own lineup -- which is now without Ty France, who is headed to the 10-day injured list -- but
beating an Angels club that beat up on them just one week ago represented a step in the right direction.
Paul Sewald K's Marsh for Save
Robbie Ray allowed 1 run in 6 innings with 6 K's and the Mariners battled back in the 9th to seal the sweep.
Sweep sullied by injury
The Mariners rallied late to sweep the A's, but their focus was on Ty France, who exited early after a collision.
Mariners vs. A's Game Highlights (6/23/22) MLB Highlights
Ty France leaves the game with an injury in the 5th
OAKLAND -- Simply put, the Mariners' 2-1 win on Thursday was a nonstop grind. They didn't record their first hit off Oakland starter Frankie Montas until the eighth inning. Then they pulled off the comeback by scoring two runs on three walks and two wild pitches in the top of the ninth.
Seattle came away with the series sweep, but the team may have to grind even harder in the coming days with first baseman Ty France's status uncertain after a concerning play at first base.
The ‘pen kept us in it, then locked it down. 3.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 6 K
France exited Thursday's series finale in the fifth inning with an apparent elbow injury. The first baseman fell to the ground after A's third baseman Sheldon Neuse ran into him attempting to reach first base, knocking the glove off of France's hand. France remained down while manager Scott Servais and head athletic trainer
Kyle Torgerson came out to aid him.
France needed help standing up, favoring his left elbow, but he walked off the field under his own power. Dylan Moore entered the game to replace him at first base.
Sweep Complete: Mariners Comeback in the 9th
After exiting the game, France got an X-ray, which came back negative. Servais said he is "cautiously optimistic" that the injury may not have been as bad as it looked, but the Mariners will have a better idea of France's status after he gets an MRI Friday.
"I'm still concerned," Servais said. "We're not out of the woods by any means. Certainly, he's a key cog in our offense. He's been so consistent all year long. You know what you're going to get from him every day, and not having him in there is going to be tough. Hopefully it's just a short amount of time."
France said he heard a crack during the collision, but he now thinks it was just a joint popping. After the game, he said his left elbow felt stiff after icing it, but he has full strength in the joint.
"I think that's every first baseman's fear, is that happening," France said. "I didn't even think it was a possibility right there, and next thing I know, my arm was getting ripped off."
we had ourselves a no-hitter with just a mis-called walk breaking up a perfecto for Montas through 6. Some things can be done as well as others.
Ray continued to miss with his pitches more than he has recently, but still came away with a very good six-inning outing, giving up one run on four hits with six strikeouts. His good work was primarily overshadowed by Montas’ brilliance (he was still throwing 99mph in the eighth!), which stirred the armchair GM trade proposals into a frenzy.
The play at first may not have happened if not for a controversial call from home-plate umpire Nic Lentz. Mariners starter Robbie Ray and Neuse were in the middle of a seven-pitch at-bat before the collision. Ray's fifth offering, a four-seamer down in the zone, came on a 1-2 count and ostensibly could have been a called
third strike. Instead, it was called a ball -- and Neuse singled two pitches later.
"A situation like that where the first baseman reaches into the line, a guy runs into his arm, you see him drop to the ground, drop his glove -- that's a tough situation," Ray said. "I'm hopeful that there's not significant damage, so we'll just have to wait and see."
France has been one of the Mariners' most consistent players this season. The first baseman is in the midst of a breakout season, slashing a career-best .316/.390/.476. Entering Thursday, France led American League first basemen in hits (87), total bases (131), bWAR (3.1) and fWAR (2.3).
Offense aside, the Mariners currently do not have much depth at first base on their active roster. Moore and Kevin Padlo, who each manned the position in France's absence on Thursday, have a combined 16 games at first in the big leagues. Abraham Toro and Luis Torrens, who are listed as options at first per Seattle's depth
chart, have even fewer: 11.
Evan White will eventually be in the mix at first base, but he's currently on a rehab assignment with Triple-A Tacoma as he recovers from a sports hernia.
Paul Sewald Earns the Save
The Mariners haven't needed to figure out how to play without France so far. Up until now, he has missed just one game all season.
The team is hopeful that the 27-year-old can avoid a stint on the injured list. France said he feels better than expected, all things considered, but he won't really know how severe the injury is until the next day.
"We're playing good baseball, and I feel good at the plate and all that," France said, "so hopefully I'm able to get back out there."
Mariners vs. A's Game Highlights (6/22/22) MLB Highlights
By Sonja Chen @sonjamchen
Winker then took advantage of a 3-1 count to send a two run moon shot to center field, his second in as many games and sixth of the season, bringing the M’s runs up to five.
OAKLAND -- It's no secret that Jesse Winker has scuffled this season. He was one of Seattle's splashiest offseason pickups, but his paltry .219/.337/.335 slash line hasn't lived up to expectations.
Winker's struggles at the plate persisted for so long that he was held out of the lineup on June 14. But perhaps that day off was just what he needed to regroup and hone his approach. In the week since, Winker has slowly but surely started to look more like himself -- and his bat was key in Wednesday's series-clinching 9-0
win over the A's at the Coliseum.
No one likes to be benched, but the day off allowed Winker to slow down and continue making adjustments in his first season in Seattle.
"It's a new division for me, it's a new side of the country and it was just a chance to take a breather and take in a baseball game," Winker said. "It was good for me."
In eight games since, Winker has gone 7-for-21 with three extra-base hits and seven walks, with much of his increased production coming in this series in Oakland.
On Wednesday, Winker went 2-for-4 and knocked in three runs for the Mariners, matching his season high. He brought home Julio Rodríguez with a liner to right field in the third inning, then he scorched an offering from Oakland starter Paul Blackburn deep to center for a two-run shot in the fifth.
First J.P. Crawford executed a double to center field, that might have stayed a single if not for a mishandled ball, but no error was ruled on the play. It was a perfect setup for Julio to hit a ground rule double, bringing Crawford home.
Cal Raleigh was the next to do damage, and continued slugging his way into the hearts and minds of M’s fans everywhere, sending a towering solo shot over the center field wall to put the Mariners up two to nothing in the second inning.
In the third inning, Ty France led off with a single for his lone hit of the night, followed by JRod
Winker was one of four Mariners to record multiple hits against the A's on Wednesday, giving him back-to-back multi-hit games for just the third time this season. He went 2-for-4 with a double and a home run in Tuesday's series opener, showcasing the power that has been eluding him this season.
Winker is coming off an All-Star season with Cincinnati in which he set career highs in the majority of his offensive stats, including doubles (32), home runs (24) and OPS (.949). He ended 2021 with a 140 OPS+, but nearly halfway through 2022, his 94 OPS+ puts him below league average for the first time in his career.
Entering Wednesday, Winker was slugging .319 -- which is down significantly from his career mark of .477. The disparity between his expected slugging percentage (.453) and his current slugging percentage is negative-.134, the 12th-largest differential in the American League. Manager Scott Servais said it's encouraging to
see Winker hit for power in this series.
"His confidence is coming back. He's not over-swinging," Servais said. "He feels really good; he's seeing the ball good in this ballpark. He knows if he just squares it up, it'll go, and that's what happened again tonight."
One aspect of Winker's game that has remained consistent is his ability to get on base. He's drawn a walk in each of his last nine starts, and he leads the AL with 44 free passes.
"You always have value if you're getting on base, and Jesse leads the league in walks," Servais said. "He does swing at the right pitches, but eventually you've got to start squaring some balls up.
"It's been a struggle for him to get back to who he is, and it's headed in the right direction right now."
The hits kept on rolling in the fifth, and so did the runs. Next when Adam Frazier brought home
Eugenio Suárez on a fielder’s choice, who channeled good slides only to smoothly move around the throw home and bring the Mariners to six runs.
Then again when J.P. Crawford hit a two run double deep to the right-center gap, scoring Taylor Trammell and Adam Frazier, and bringing the Seattle run total up to eight for the second game in a row.
With such a commanding lead, the Seattle squad decided it would let some of the bench in on the fun in the top of the seventh. After Raleigh drew a one out walk, Abraham Toro had a chance at the plate, stepping in for J.P. Crawford.
Seattle's offense appears to be picking up steam after a difficult 3-8 homestand in which the team averaged 2.5 runs per game. The Mariners have erupted for 17 runs in the past two games in Oakland, getting contributions from up and down the lineup. All but three players who appeared on Wednesday recorded at least one
hit, and every starter reached base at least once.
Back-to-back romps in Oakland have considerably boosted the Mariners' spirits. Rookie starter George Kirby, who tossed six scoreless frames and picked up his second big league win, said he sees that positive energy translating into the team's at-bats.
"We're having a lot of fun," Kirby said. "That counts for a lot of things."
George Kirby Fans Six
George Kirby floated and finessed his way to victory.
Rounding out the shutout pitching performance tonight was Penn Murfee and Tommy Milone. Murfee
"Hitting is contagious," Servais said.
tonight as rookie George Kirby makes his second career start vs. the A's.
poWer surge ELECTRIC FACTORY
Mariners open a 3-game series against Oakland tonight. Sidenote- it feels like summer here!
Mariners vs. A's Game Highlights (6/21/22) MLB Highlights
Mariners Go BACK-TO-BACK-TO-BACK
Julio Rodríguez, Jesse Winker and Eugenio Suárez hit three dingers in just four pitches in an 8-2 Mariners win over the A's.
By Sonja Chen @sonjamchen
OAKLAND -- It was nothing short of sweltering at Tuesday's series opener in Oakland. Manager Scott Servais remarked before the game that it was probably the warmest weather he had ever experienced at the Coliseum, and the thermometer was still running high at first pitch, registering a cool 92 degrees.
You would expect the ball to fly out of the stadium on a night like that. It took a while, but the Mariners eventually got the home run party started in an 8-2 win over the A's. They hit four long balls in the game -- including back-to-back-to-back homers in the seventh inning from Julio Rodríguez, Jesse Winker and Eugenio
Suárez turning a nailbiter into a romp.
It was the first time in nearly 18 years that the Mariners had hit three straight home runs, and just the fourth time it has happened in franchise history. The last time was Aug. 27, 2004, when Miguel Olivo, José López and Hiram Bocachica went back-to-back-to-back against Zack Greinke.
Tuesday's back-to-back-to-back power show combined for a projected distance of 1,295 feet, per Statcast.
Mariners Power Way to Victory in Oakland
Julio Rodríguez's Two-Run Homer
Rodríguez was up first. He faced A's reliever Austin Pruitt with one on and two outs. He hammered the second pitch he saw -- and he seemed to know it would go out right away. Rodríguez slowly trotted to first, watching the ball fly out of the park at 111 mph off the bat, before flipping his bat and rounding the bases.
"I think I got jammed a little bit," he said, unable to suppress a laugh. "It's really hard to hit, and whenever you get one like that, I feel like all you've got to do is enjoy it."
Bat flip
Then it was Winker's turn. Not to be outdone, he smoked a four-seamer from Pruitt to dead center, collecting his second hit and RBI of the night with his daughter watching from the stands.
Jesse Winker Goes Deep
Winker was pretty happy about it:
Suárez didn't waste any time. He was in attack mode from the moment he stepped in the box, and he drove the first offering from Pruitt over the center-field wall, completing the trifecta.
Eugenio Suárez Goes Yard
All of a sudden, on just four pitches, the Mariners had a commanding 7-0 lead.
It wasn't easy to keep the ball in the park that evening, but starter Marco Gonzales managed it pretty well, tossing seven strong innings and only giving up a two-run shot to Oakland rookie Nick Allen.
"I didn't really, completely," Gonzales said of keeping the ball down. "But I didn't think it was jumping, honestly. We got a lot of weak contact, just pitching to contact."
In a way, everything came together for the Mariners after a stretch in which nothing was going right at the same time.
Marco Gonzales Escapes a Jam
"We finally lined it up," Servais said. "We pitched, and we got some big hits. We needed one of those games.
"We haven't seen that all year, so I was as excited as the guys were."
The Mariners were desperately in need of this kind of output from the lineup. Entering the game, they had been held scoreless for 21 straight innings -- and that streak continued through the first two innings on Tuesday, until Taylor Trammell finally broke it up with a solo shot in the third inning.
Gonzales may know the Mariners' offensive struggles better than anyone. Though he's been one of Seattle's more consistent starters, Tuesday's win was just his fourth this season. In 14 starts, Gonzales has pitched with three or more runs behind him just six times, including Tuesday.
Taylor Trammell's Solo Home Run
"Nobody's gotten a lot of run support from us recently, so any run support was good run support tonight," Servais said. "We'll take it."
Even better, Seattle was able to follow through and get the big hit -- something that has eluded the club lately. Situational hitting has been a hot topic in the Mariners clubhouse, and it looks like that focus is beginning to pay off: The back-to-back-to-back blasts in the seventh all came with two outs.
"We'll take 'em with any outs," Servais said. "We need to build on it. It was a good day to hit, a little warmer over here today, and the ball was jumping a bit."
Ty France, who’s been in maybe the teeniest-tiniest slump lately, can smell a base hit RBI when there are runners in scoring position like no one else:
Watching Ty France bat reminds me of the peak Seager-Canó-Cruz days, when you just knew one of those guys coming up would get the job done. It’s a deeply comforting feeling and once I don’t take for granted. All hail Ty France.
The Mariners can expect much more normal temperatures in Oakland for the rest of the series. The unusually warm weather may be behind them, but the Mariners hope that Monday's opener was the turning point in which they heat up for good.
"It felt amazing, honestly," Rodríguez said, "just seeing everybody getting it going and scoring some runs like that.
"We just got to show what we're capable of, what we have within us."
Andrés Muñoz came in and struck out the remaining batters. In fact, Muñoz stayed in the game to work the top of the seventh inning, and worked it 1-2-3 and racked up another two strikeouts, bringing his total to four for the day and cementing a stellar outing from the young arm. He managed to whiff Kurt Suzuki, Tyler
Wade, Taylor Ward, and Mike Trout. Each one more impressive than the last, here are all four:
Erik Swanson then came in and worked an inning also facing the minimum, but he had some luck of his one when Shohei Ohtani almost took him deep in the first at bat, but instead flew out to Dylan Moore at the warning track. Swanny quickly bounced back though, racking up two strikeouts of his own to end the inning.
On the offensive side, the Mariners actually outhit the Angels, racking up eight hits to Los Angeles’ seven. The Angels ultimately outscored the Mariners, but they were not the first to strike. Seattle was first on the board in the third inning, with a blast to left field by Dylan Moore.
Julio doing Julio things. #GoSteelheads
this Moore’s sixth hit-by-pitch of the season already. DMo’s foot must have been fine though, because he wasted no time in stealing second base. Then Abraham Toro, our beloved, hit a single moving him to third base. Abraham Toro arguably had the best game among all M’s hitters, going 2-for-3 with a walk.
Raleigh came in and struck out for Taylor Trammell, and the Angels opted to bring in Archie Bradley to face Julio with two outs and runners on the corners. Rookie move, big mistake.
Julio may have fallen behind in the count 0-2, but he was not out. His single brought home Moore, moved Toro to third, and set him up for a stolen base. He now has a league leading eighteen stolen bases on the season,
Beyond the Diamond: Salute to the Negro Leagues Celebration
Robbie Ray struck out 10 and took a no-hit bid into the 7th, while Seattle's offense came alive to back him.
Mariners set to play two
Chris Flexen gets the ball for Game 1 of today's doubleheader vs. the Angels.
Angels vs. Mariners Game Highlights (6/17/22) MLB Highlights
SEATTLE -- In what seemed like a gut-wrenching, deflating and disheartening way to lose a no-hitter, by his own hand no less, Robbie Ray couldn’t help but smile.
The Mariners’ ace was seven outs shy of going the distance when a chopping comebacker from Max Stassi bounced directly in front of the plate and toward the mound, sailed into the netting of Ray’s glove as he gently lunged upward to corral it in, and skirted swiftly out as he gracefully landed ready to field the out. As the
ball squirmed onto the infield grass, Ray dropped into a crouch in a personification of the oh-so-close sequence.
Shortly after Max Stassi raced to first base, the official scorer ruled it a hit a hit, irking the 37,500 on hand into a disappointed roar. But by that point, Ray was grinning from ear to ear. Sometimes, baseball -- in the most fundamental fashion -- doesn’t roll your way.
Friday night’s 8-1 win over the Angels won’t go in the history books, but it’ll be a night that Ray won’t forget for some time.
“I think because I’m the one who caused it,” Ray, again smiling, said of his reaction. “And it was just such an easy play. It was just funny, that's how it ended. I mean, it was still a great outing. I felt like I had everything going for me, so it was really good.
Mariners Get It Done on Both Sides of the Ball in Victory
Robbie Ray spun a gem and the offense busted out the big bats in the Mariners 8-1 win over the Angels.
Shoutout @RobbieRay
Let’s look at them both. First up, it’s that two-seamer Ray used all night to get the righty batters chasing:
And three innings later, it’s the trusty old slider (and a little bit of celebration from Robbie, which I now realize isn’t just “I struck out Mike Trout twice” but “I struck out Mike Trout twice and only have to see him one more time if I keep get this no-hitter going”
Ray would lose the no-hitter in the seventh on a stupid little ball that bounced off his glove that maybe could have been ruled an error, but then in the eighth gave up a couple other hits that were definitely hits, so he’ll have to be satisfied with a seven-inning, 10-strikeout performance. Penn Murfee couldn’t keep the leadoff
triple off the board, which isn’t really Penn Murfee’s fault, so it wasn’t a shutout either, but we’ll be happy with this performance on both sides of the ball.
He tied a season high with 10 strikeouts, retired 18 in a row at one point and gave up just two additional hits, both in the eighth inning, after which he was pulled at 102 pitches. When Seattle’s prized offseason acquisition walked off the mound to a roaring ovation, it was a moment that the Mariners’ front office had long
envisioned after inking him to a five-year, $115 million deal in December to be their “lead dog.”
“The fans here are great, and to see the support that they had for me and what I was able to do tonight, it was cool,” Ray said.
Ray continues to reap the benefits of adding a new pitch to his arsenal, a two-seam fastball that he began throwing when his outing last week in Houston was spiraling. After turning to the pitch between the second and third innings in that eventual win, he threw 17 consecutive scoreless innings before allowing one earned
run in the eighth on Friday.
The two-seamer’s movement away from his left-handed release point has helped him widen the plate, find strikes to his arm side, work back into counts when he falls behind and more seamlessly bridge to his four-seamer and slider when he gets to two strikes. He threw the two-seamer 49 times over his 102 pitches but only
used it for three of his 10 strikeouts.
More illuminating, he’s walked just three of the 63 batters he’s faced since installing the two-seamer, a 4.8 percent rate, compared to the 9.1 percent rate he had prior. That was a big factor in allowing him to pitch so deep on Friday
“I feel like the two-seam has actually helped me out a ton with that,” Ray said. “Because when I fall behind in counts, I feel like I'm able to get a ground ball and I'm still in the at-bat. So yeah, I think that's kind of helped out, having that pitch, just something where, you get to 2-1, 3-1 on a guy, throw two-seam, get him to
roll over. That's kind of helped me out a lot.
Cal Raleigh's Solo Homer
Beyond Ray, Friday’s collective showing was emblematic of precisely the type of game that the Mariners had constructed their roster and tailored their gameplanning for, featuring consistent run production, aggressive baserunning and their ace throwing up zeros.
Eugenio Suárez's RBI Single
The Mariners, and particularly Julio Rodríguez, were all over Michael Lorenzen early. The early AL Rookie of the Year favorite got things going in the first inning by extending a single for two bases on an error by the left fielder, advancing to third on a wild pitch and then scoring easily on an RBI knock from Eugenio Suárez.
Then in the fourth, it was Ty France clearing the bases with a three-run double into the left-field corner that gave Ray a seven-run cushion. France had his first off-day in the series opener on Thursday, which he said pregame allowed him a needed mental reset along with the physical rest after landing awkwardly while diving
in the field on Wednesday.
Ty France's Three-Run Double
France and Rodríguez have been the key cogs in the lineup’s engine, but the club has lacked consistent run production from the rest of its bats. Yet Jesse Winker, Adam Frazier and Justin Upton -- who left after being hit by a pitch -- were the only starters who didn’t drive in a run on Friday.
“This is the way it was supposed to be,” Servais said. “But certainly, it doesn't always work out the way it's supposed to work out on paper. ... You're going to go through some rough times and hopefully, today was a stepping stone to kind of turn it around offensively for us.”
You can read about the Mariners minors in yesterday’s Midshipmen’s Log.
Photo by Wolfgang Kaehler/LightRocket via Getty Images
This Rangers-Astros series has actually been wild, with the first two games featuring late rallies and dramatic plays. I admire Adolis García and can’t appreciate when it’s a Mariners batter he’s robbing a homer against, but when it’s Yordan Álvarez? Absolutely. (As a bonus, this catch bails out Taylor Hearn, who I also like and
feel guilty rooting against when the Mariners play the Rangers.)
Logan Gilbert's breakout season continued with six K's in six innings of a combined shutout of the Twins.
With this win, Gilbert is now 7-2 on the season, and while we all know that Pitcher Wins Don’t Matter, it’s pretty reflective of the role Gilbert plays as a “stopper” on this team: someone who can help turn around a losing skid and set his team up with a chance to win every time
Logan goes six strong!
Twins vs. Mariners Game Highlights (6/14/22) MLB Highlights
By Daniel Kramer @DKramer_
SEATTLE -- For all of the Mariners’ inconsistencies at times in this up-and-down season, one constant has regularly put them in position to win every time he takes the field.
Logan Gilbert again dazzled with six shutout innings on Tuesday against the Twins, marching the Mariners to a 5-0 win with some help from a new-look lineup. Aside from the right-hander’s mini funk in mid-May that spanned four starts, the Mariners have won each time he’s taken the hill, for the ninth time this season and
fourth in a row in his 13 outings.
Gilbert gives Mariners much-needed reliability
Moreover, Gilbert has led the Mariners to a win four times on starts following a loss, including an end to two four-game losing streaks. At this rate, the second-year starter is putting together a legitimate bid to pitch in the Midsummer Classic next month at Dodger Stadium.
“It looks to me like maybe an All-Star-type season,” Mariners manager Scott Servais said. “I think he's certainly distinguishing himself as one of the better starters in this league, and he was just awesome again tonight.”
Kickin' it at the ballpark!
Eugenio Suárez's Two-Run Homer
From the get-go, Gilbert looked electric. In the first inning, he induced a weak groundout from leadoff man Luis Arraez, blew a 97.2 mph fastball by Byron Buxton for strike three then worked his way back from a 3-0 count to fan Carlos Correa on three straight pitches, all looking and all via the heater.
Gilbert again faced a 3-0 count against what wound up being his final batter of the game, coming back to punch out Max Kepler on three straight fastballs then slamming his fist into his glove as he walked off the mound.
With a four-run lead after six innings, and with Seattle’s best leverage relievers each on more than one day’s rest, Servais opted to use his bullpen for the final three frames despite Gilbert being at just 90 pitches, which was by design after the 25-year-old threw 100-plus in each of his five prior starts. So, Erik Swanson, Diego
Castillo and Matthew Festa pushed Seattle to the finish line.
Matthew Festa Gets the Final Out
“I know that regardless if we win or lose, I'm trying to always set the tone when it's my day and get ahead and keep zeros on the board and give us a chance to win,” Gilbert said. “Win or lose, that's my job, and that's what I've tried to go out and do.”
Despite generating just nine swings-and-misses, Gilbert carved his way through one of the AL’s best contact-making teams by attacking early in counts. He threw first-pitch strikes to 16 of the 22 batters he faced, and only twice did Minnesota reach scoring position against him.
“His fastball has some good carry and it was up to 98, 99 [mph], I think,” Correa said. “He threw a lot of fastballs today, too, and it was kind of hard to catch up to them. So, yeah, it was just a tough night at the office.”
Another big factor in Gilbert’s success was that he wasn’t forced to pitch his team back into the ballgame. Each of the Mariners’ first 11 hitters against Twins starter Joe Ryan were hitless, but Seattle got to him in the fourth when Julio Rodríguez yanked a double into left field then Eugenio Suárez drove the rookie in with a
two-run homer. Then in the fifth, Ty France padded Seattle’s lead with another two-run homer, his 10th of the year driving in Dylan Moore, who led off with a single and stole second base.
Ty France's Two-Run Homer
Moore, playing shortstop after J.P. Crawford was a late scratch, punctuated the win by scoring an insurance run in the seventh, hitting another leadoff single, stealing another base and scoring on an RBI double by Sam Haggerty, who was a late addition to the lineup with Crawford shelved due to flu-like symptoms and Jesse
Winker out for a scheduled day off amid his ongoing struggles.
“Putting up a five-spot -- if we do that, our pitchers are really good,” France said. “They're going to go out and handle business, so it's nice to do that.”
Gilbert struck out six to reach 200 K’s in his 37th career start in the process, becoming the third fastest Mariners pitcher to reach that milestone, trailing Mark Langston in 1984 and Félix Hernández in 2005-06, both of whom got there in 35 starts.
Gilbert has been a huge lifeline when they’ve needed him most. The Mariners are 9-4 with him on the mound, and they probably could be even better, with ninth-inning leads blown by the bullpen in his May 6 outing vs. Tampa Bay and on May 22 at Boston. Seattle is 19-30 behind everyone else.
“Our team knows when he's pitching,” Servais said. “You’ve got a pitcher that's been that consistent. You’ve got to figure out a way to play good defense behind him, which we did tonight, and score a couple of runs and we should be in good shape.”
Throwing it down the pipe at 101 Happy 101st birthday, Mabel!
Skipper
“You want to get a photo?” “No.”
Julio vaults to the top of the Rookie Hot List
Could it be anything else?
Matthew Leach @matthewhleach
Welcome to June’s edition of the Rookie Hot List, MLB.com’s monthly look at some of the rolling rookies around the Major Leagues.
A reminder, as always: this is not about who’s having the best season. It’s not about who’s going to win Rookie of the Year. It’s about who’s hot -- rookie players who have put up the best performances over the past 30 days. There’s a slight bias toward playing time, so a player with twice as many at-bats or innings will get
the nod over one with slightly better rate stats.
Among those who just missed this week: Jack Suwinski, Jose Miranda, Nolan Gorman, Brendan Donovan, Jeremy Peña and Graham Ashcraft. You can absolutely make a case for any of them to have been in the top 10. These are judgment calls.
grip it and rip it On with the list…
1. Julio Rodríguez, OF, Mariners (no longer eligible to be ranked as a prospect)
Last month we had Rodríguez at No. 5, noting the only thing that had yet to come was the power. The power has come. Rodríguez is at .288/.351/.529 over the past 30 days, with seven home runs. And he’s still running wild, with seven steals in eight tries over that span. You know what a player who averages seven homers
and seven steals per month over a full season is? A 40/40 player. Rodríguez is special.
Sonics legend Shaun Kemp threw out the first pitch for the Seattle Mariners today @sk40_reignman in the house! #SeaUsRise @SiriusXM
“You gonna play in the big leagues one day?”
Chance to win another series tomorrow... let's keep it rolling!
Mina Kimes Mic'd Up for First Pitch
ESPN reporter Mina Kimes is mic'd up and gives a behind-the-scenes look at her day at T-Mobile Park as she throws out the first pitch.
VMFH Mariners Routine Check-Up: Eugenio Suárez
Dan “The Man” Wilson catches up with Eugenio Suárez on his first season in Seattle, his power at the plate and more in the first installment of VMFH Mariners Routine Check-Up. Be sure to schedule your routine check-up with Virginia Mason Franciscan Health today at vmfh.org.
I don't know what some of you are going on about, Dave Sims is a gem, and he knows how to meet the moment.