" 𝔹𝕖𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕦𝕟𝕚𝕢𝕦𝕖 𝕚𝕤 𝕓𝕖𝕥𝕥𝕖𝕣 𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕟 𝕓𝕖𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕡𝕖𝕣𝕗𝕖𝕔𝕥 "
~ Seattle Mariners 2020 ~
The 60 Game Sprint Covid 19 Season
#GoMariners #GoMs! #TruetotheBlue
Tuesday May 10
FINAL
PHI 4 vs 5 SEA
Mariners rise as Ray logs season-high 10 K's
Ray at his best against Phils
It all seemed to click for Robbie Ray as the reigning AL Cy Young winner recorded a season-high 10 strikeouts.
Robbie Ray fans 10 Phillies
Phillies vs. Mariners Game Highlights (5/10/22) MLB Highlights
SEATTLE -- Robbie Ray put it all together in a dominant outing, explicitly the kind that the Mariners signed him for $115 million to be their ace, and Seattle’s bats finally broke through in a big, albeit quirky, way in a 5-3 win over the Phillies on Tuesday at T-Mobile
Park.
Ray racked up 10 strikeouts, a season high for any Mariners pitcher, and was perfect through the first four innings. Yet some much-needed run support -- mostly via infield hits -- helped him overcome a shaky fifth and position the bullpen to take the game to the
finish line and even this three-game series.
Ray said after his previous outing last Thursday, “Man, I’m telling you, I’m right there,” when describing how close he felt to uncovering a timing issue that prevented him from putting everything in one single start. Tuesday represented his best yet, still with room to grow.
“I definitely felt like everything was clicking tonight,” Ray said. “The fastball was really good. The slider was as good as it's ever been. It felt like my timing, everything, was right where it needed to be."
The reigning American League Cy Young Award winner generated 21 whiffs, a mark only nine others have reached this season, against 58 swings for a 38% whiff rate while also showing a notable increase on his fastball velocity at 93.4 mph, up from 92.6 mph. And
Ray’s slider -- one of the Majors’ best when it’s on -- generated 15 of those whiffs, the second most by any pitcher on a slider this year to only the Dodgers’ Clayton Kershaw.
A 31-pitch fifth inning kept Ray from going deeper than his season-high 104 tally, as he came one out shy of finishing the sixth, just the second time in seven outings he’s failed to go that deep.
Ray surrendered just two hits, a solo homer to Nick Castellanos that led off the fifth and a double to Bryce Harper in the sixth that ended his outing. Ray also walked two, including a costly free pass to Jean Segura, who then tagged up to second on a deep flyout and
advanced to third then home on two wild pitches from Ray, also in the fifth.
Segura scores on a wild pitch
“I think you're just understanding that you're never out of it,” Ray said of the jam. “You're one pitch away. What's happened has happened. You can't change it. It’s frustrating. The wild pitches, the home run, it is what it is. Solo homers aren't gonna beat you. I
think just understanding that, and just doing your best job to get your team back in the dugout so we can hit again.”
For a team that badly needed it, Ray represented a shot in the arm. But their bats connecting for 10 hits was perhaps just as encouraging given that they entered the night with an MLB-high five shutouts. No other team has more than four.
The Mariners didn’t exactly barrel up Phillies ace Aaron Nola, who generated an MLB-high six called strikeouts. Seattle had an average exit velocity of 85.4 mph on 19 balls in play against the former All-Star -- well below the 95 mph hard-hit threshold -- thanks to
five infield hits, and six total when including Philly’s relievers, which matched the Twins for the most in a single game this year, per Statcast.
The most notable was Adam Frazier reaching in the second after colliding with the glove of Phillies first baseman Rhys Hoskins, who clearly corralled the throw in time but dropped the ball after. Phils manager Joe Girardi didn’t challenge within the 20-second window
allotted and instead argued the call, which led to his ejection.
Joe Girardi reacts to getting ejected + Ricky Bo unhappy with four errors Phillies Postgame Live
Ejections 034-35 - Bill Miller Tosses Joe Girardi After Replay Time Expires, Eddings Heaves Torrens
3B Umpire Bill Miller ejected Phillies manager Joe Girardi for arguing a Replay Review denial due to expiration-of-time-to-challenge and HP Umpire Doug Eddings ejected Luis Torrens after a check swing.
Adam Frazier laces single
Hard to blame him for getting fired up when this was the call...
“Most of those first basemen are big guys compared to me,” Frazier said. “So I’m just trying to run hard and see what happens.”
Luis Torrens ended Nola’s night by winning an 11-pitch battle with a single to right to push his tally to 99. Immediately after, Brad Hand entered, walked Frazier, hit Ty France with the bases loaded then surrendered a sac fly to J.P. Crawford to give the Mariners
enough cushion. France’s first-inning double was the Mariners’ only hit for extra bases, but they’ll take it.
For a club playing the 15th in a 16-game stretch with no off-day, then a cross-country flight awaiting after Wednesday’s series finale and a 10-game, three-city road trip with no breaks on the horizon, Tuesday’s victory represented a big breath of fresh air.
“We had one of those games where the ball did bounce our way tonight,” Mariners manager Scott Servais said. “We didn't hit a ton of balls hard off Nola, but we were fortunate we hit him in the right spot. We haven't had that game in quite some time, and it's going
to even out.”
Ichiro delivers 1st pitch in full uni -- AND full wind up! 94 MPH
By Dylan Svoboda @dylanksvoboda
Friday night was the Mariners’ home opener at T-Mobile Park vs. the Astros. To help celebrate the occasion, the club welcomed a familiar face to deliver the first pitch: Ichiro Suzuki.
The 48-year-old Mariners legend took the mound in his full uniform from 2001, sporting the iconic No. 51 on his back.
Ichiro delivered a flaming fastball to Mariners phenom Julio Rodríguez behind the plate before embracing the 21-year-old with a bear hug.
Today, Ichiro serves as an instructor and special assistant to the chairman for the Mariners and has been around the team since his retirement in 2019.
Ichiro to Julio. J-Rod Show. It’s on.
#Mariners Two besties & an antler. #Ichiro l #Julio #OpeningDay
Wednesday May 11
FINAL
PHI 4 vs 3 SEA
Despite rising walk rate, Gilbert's stuff feels 'the best it's felt all year'
Walking into trouble
Logan Gilbert felt good about his pitches, but his struggles with command proved costly vs. the Phillies.
Logan Gilbert, and K SWAG, Logan Gilbert K's 9 in 5 inning
Phillies vs. Mariners Game Highlights (5/11/22) MLB Highlights
SEATTLE -- Logan Gilbert looked like he was on the cusp of perhaps his most dominant outing of the young season early on Wednesday, yet a few command issues continued to creep into his delivery during a costly fourth inning that proved to be a decisive sequence
in a 4-2 loss to the Phillies.
Gilbert, who was hitless to that point, gave up a leadoff single to Alec Bohm, walked Bryce Harper and Jean Segura, and then served up a belt-high fastball to red-hot Rhys Hoskins, who crushed a 367-foot grand slam that gave the Phils all the cushion they needed -
- particularly given that the Mariners’ bats continued to struggle with run production.
“I gave up too many runs and walked too many people,” Gilbert said. “But like I said, the stuff felt the best it's felt all year.”
Baseball for lunch. Nothing better. Play ball!
Other than that costly sequence, Gilbert was solid, with a career-high-tying nine strikeouts and only two other hits allowed. Yet the free passes that preceded the slam were perhaps more pressing given that his walk tally has significantly trended up since he was
named the AL Pitcher of the Month for April.
After giving up just one walk in his first three starts combined, Gilbert has surrendered 13 in four outings since -- with at least three per start in that stretch. He walked three or more just three times in his 24 outings in his promising rookie season last year.
It’s translated to a 14.6% walk rate since these issues surfaced, dating back to April 26 at Tampa Bay, which is among the highest for MLB starters in this stretch. However, Gilbert believes he’s corrected some of the issues he had with arm-side misses in his recent
outings, and he was mostly back on track other than the 18 pitches he threw from the start of the fourth, which led to Harper’s walk, to the slam. He went on to strike out each of the next four hitters.
“He was frustrated with himself,” Mariners manager Scott Servais said. “He knows he had really good stuff today, and to let it slip away from him like that in that inning, disappointing.”
Gilbert has held opposing hitters to a .197 batting average and .289 slugging percentage during his past four starts, but also a .315 on-base percentage, which heavily contributed to Hoskins being in position to deliver a big blow on Wednesday. The Phils’ slugger
has also been on the cusp for some time, and he homered in each of the three games this series.
Gilbert also didn’t have much in the way of his slider on Wednesday. He threw it 13 times over his 95 pitches, generated five swings and zero whiffs. It also accounted for one of his walks, below the zone, to Segura. Gilbert developed a much harder, tighter
slider over the offseason in an effort to better diversify his repertoire after becoming so fastball-reliant last year.
“My fastball was the best it’s felt all year,” Gilbert said. “I was on line, over the top, backspinning the ball. I'm not really flying open like it was in the past, so I don't think that was a problem. The fastball felt pretty good. I think they had some good takes, especially
on the slider, where we were trying to get chases when I got to two strikes that they might flinch or whatever but didn’t go for.”
@JRODshow44 extends his hit streak to 6 games and brings home @A_Fraz12!
Julio Rodríguez's RBI single
The good news is that Gilbert looked and felt dominant. The bad was that his brief moments of vulnerability were far too much for a struggling Mariners offense to overcome. After Wednesday, Seattle has scored two runs or fewer in 14 of its 32 games this season.
Both of the Mariners’ runs came from RBI singles, via Julio Rodríguez in the third and Ty France in the seventh. After France’s knock, Rodríguez stepped to the plate as the go-ahead run with runners on the corners, but he popped out to finish a competitive, seven-
pitch at-bat against Jeurys Familia.
Ty France's RBI Grounder
The only player to reach base 4+ times in 5 games this season?
The Mariners are off on Thursday for the first time in 16 days. Seattle then embarks on a three-city, 10-game road trip, beginning against two juggernauts, the Mets and Blue Jays. They’ve hit .204/.281/.328 on the road for a .609 OPS that is fifth-lowest in the
Majors, and they’re cognizant that they’ll need to turn that around quickly if they’re going to get back on track.
“We need to hit on the road,” Servais said. “I've often said, to win on the road, you’ve got to hit on the road, so we need to pick it up offensively for sure.”
The @usacurl Olympic Team is at the ballpark today, throwing out the first pitch and giving fans a chance to test out their own curling skills!
All this guys have been on to start the year.
Fired up
This Energy >
Friday May 7
FINAL
TB 8 vs 7 SEA
Mariners not swayed by skid: 'We know who we are'
J-Rod, Kelenic's late rally for naught in fifth straight loss
Plenty to be excited about
It didn't lead to a win, but Julio Rodriguez and Jarred Kelenic flashed a bit of their promise with clutch hits.
Rays vs. Mariners Game Highlights (5/6/22) MLB Highlights
SEATTLE -- To win, you’ve got to overcome the weird.
The Mariners know this, and have been trying to battle out of the recent funk they find themselves in, but once again they were unable to bust out of it in a wild and eventful 8-7 loss to the Rays on Friday night at T-Mobile Park.
What was weird in this one, which stretched their losing streak to five games and handed them their ninth defeat in their last 10 outings? How about what wasn’t?
The Mariners looked like they were going to overcome adversity and celebrate the emergence of two of their most heralded young players when, in the bottom of the eighth inning and trailing, 5-4, rookie Julio Rodriguez legged out a one-out infield single and pinch-
hitter Jarred Kelenic, who entered the game batting .127, followed with an electrifying two-run home run to give Seattle a 6-5 lead.
Check out Kelenic's Go-Ahead HR
Jarred Kelenic's Go-Ahead Homer
That didn’t last long, though, because the Rays’ Manuel Margot answered with a pinch-hit three-run homer of his own off Paul Sewald in the top of the ninth to put Tampa Bay up, 8-6.
And even though Mariners third baseman Eugenio Suárez hit his second homer of the night leading off the bottom of the ninth, it was a solo shot that cut the lead to one, and Rays reliever Brooks Raley got the next three outs for the save and halt Seattle's bid at a
dramatic victory.
“There were a lot of really good things in that game tonight,” said Mariners manager Scott Servais, who spoke to his players after the game and told them to keep battling through this tough stretch.
“We’re obviously disappointed that it didn't go our way at the end, but I thought it was probably one of the better games we've had offensively here since the last homestand," Servais added. "A lot of guys stepped up.”
Late fireworks aside, a lot more went on in this one, and a good amount of it was on the stranger side of things.
Seattle’s emerging ace of a starter, Logan Gilbert, who hadn’t given up a single run in his previous three starts, allowed three in the second inning alone. The right-hander, who entered the game with the best ERA among qualified pitchers in the Major Leagues at
0.64, lasted five innings, but he was touched up for four runs on seven hits while walking three and striking out six.
Like his manager, Gilbert expressed confidence that the team would soon right the ship.
“I think the main thing is just knowing who we are,” Gilbert said. “I don't have any doubt that we're a great team. It's frustrating going through a stretch like this, but we know who we are.”
The game delved into the truly wacky in the top of the fifth, with the Mariners up, 4-3. With one out and Rays baserunners on first and second, Seattle catcher Tom Murphy was behind the plate when the Rays' Harold Ramirez hit an infield dribbler that was fielded by
a charging Suárez.
Suárez tried to throw out Ramirez at first base but appeared to hesitate, possibly preferring to try to throw out the advancing Randy Arozarena at third. The ball slipped out of his hand and skirted away on the infield grass toward second base. At that point,
Arozarena broke for home and Seattle second baseman Adam Frazier picked up the ball and threw to Murphy behind the plate.
Murphy leaves game in the 5th
The throw was too late, and after Murphy caught it and dove in vain to try to tag Arozarena, he dropped the ball on the ground, took off his mask, and signaled that he needed to come out of the game. With the play still live, Suárez fired the ball to third to nab
Lowe, who was trying to advance on the odd sequence. The call was confirmed after a replay review.
Murphy was replaced at catcher by Luis Torrens and was revealed shortly thereafter to have suffered a dislocated left shoulder, with his prognosis presumably to be determined later in the weekend.
Meanwhile, the Mariners bullpen wasn’t quite good enough on a night in which it needed to be great. Flame-thrower Andrés Muñoz was unable to keep the game tied at 4 in the top of the seventh, loading the bases with nobody out on a walk, single and hit-by-pitch,
before Ramirez’s fielder’s choice scored the go-ahead run.
In the ninth, Sewald allowed singles to Arozarena and Lowe before Margot got him with the decisive blow, a line-shot homer over the center field wall.
Over the course of this 10-game rut that has seen the Mariners fall to three games under .500 at 12-15, they have lost four games by one run.
They seem to be one good starting pitching outing, one terrific bullpen stint, or a couple of big hits strung together away from snapping out of this scuffle.
So what’s it going to take?
As Kelenic said, nothing different. Just the same fight that they showed on Friday.
“Right now, things aren't going our way,” Kelenic said. “But if we can come out and play like that every single night, it’s going to work more times than it won’t.”
Saturday April 9
FINAL
SEA 4 vs 3 MIN
Rodríguez's 1st hit jolts Mariners awake, sparks rally
"No panic in this team"
Hitless in his first 7 at-bats, Julio Rodríguez refused to give up, drilling a double in the 9th to ignite a rally.
JULIO RODRÍGUEZ'S FIRST CAREER HIT!! (A double with his family in the stands!)
Julio Rodríguez's Family Celebrates His First Major League Hit
After traveling from the Dominican Republic to be at Julio Rodriguez's first series in the big leagues, J-Rod's family celebrates the first Major League hit of his career, a clutch double in the top of the ninth to spark an eventual game-winning rally.
NO QUIT. #SeaUsRise
By Daniel Kramer @DKramer_
MINNEAPOLIS -- Julio Rodríguez jokingly told manager Scott Servais early Saturday morning that he was so overwhelmed with the emotions of his Major League debut the previous day that he felt like he was in a movie and that he didn’t “wake up” until the seventh
inning.
Julio Rodríguez collects his first career hit with a double into the gap against the Minnesota Twins.
Julio Rodríguez Collects His First MLB Career Hit!!
Hours later, after three called strikeouts -- and as the frustration of possibly going 0-fer through his first two games was beginning to mount -- the club's No. 1 prospect truly awoke in the ninth inning of the Mariners’ 4-3 win at Target Field.
Seattle’s 21-year-old center fielder led off the final frame by roping a middle-middle fastball from Minnesota reliever Tyler Duffey into the left-center gap and surging into second base standing, his helmet whirling off. Rodríguez pumped his chest, facing the dugout,
and pointed to his family in the stands before he zeroed back in -- there was a ballgame to win.
Adam Frazier
After leading late, the Mariners fell behind by one run and were headed to what was looking like a deflating defeat. Yet after Rodríguez’s knock, J.P. Crawford advanced the rookie to third base and set up new leadoff man Adam Frazier -- also hitless and frustrated --
for a two-out double that plated Rodríguez as the game-tying run. Ty France immediately followed by dispensing an off-the-plate breaking ball into right field to score Frazier for the lead.
All of a sudden, the Mariners were on their way to a victory.
“Just trying to be able to get something going for the team, and score that run, too, it was really important to me,” Rodríguez said. “I know the double was pretty cool, but that run definitely mattered the most to me. ... You can do whatever you want on the field,
but if you don't help your team win, I feel like it's pointless. That's the way I view it.”
Seattle spoiled what was shaping up to be a big win for the Twins, who had dramatically taken the lead in the eighth on a go-ahead 436-foot homer from Byron Buxton that reached the third deck.
Buxton had taken reliever Andrés Muñoz deep on the first pitch, a 101-mph fastball at the top of the zone, to which Mariners catcher Tom Murphy said: “I couldn't believe it. I really couldn't believe it. Like, I was looking for a popup for half a second before I saw the
trajectory of the ball, and it's just insane that somebody can do that to a baseball.”
But that homer was seemingly little worry for a club that led the Majors with 33 wins in one-run games last season and now have two such victories to begin 2022. And, for trivia's sake, the game marked just the second time in franchise history that the Mariners
won each of their first two games by one run, the other instance being 1996 against the White Sox.
“There's no panic with this team,” France said. “One through nine, we can get it done. We trust each and every guy, whoever is stepping up to the plate. Julio -- he hasn't had a hit yet, it’s the ninth inning [and] he just goes out and does it. Anyone in this lineup can
get it done.”
Watch the full top of the 9th inning as the Mariners rally from behind to take game two of the series against the Twins.
Batting seventh, Rodríguez provided a much-needed jolt from the lower half of the lineup, a contribution that Seattle often didn’t have in 2021. On Saturday, the Nos. 7-9 hitters -- including Murphy with a 423-foot opposite-field homer in the nine-hole -- accounted
for five of the club’s nine hits. Last year those spots provided just a .203/.284/.352 (.636 OPS) slash line worth of production, which was in part why the Mariners acquired former All-Stars Frazier, Jesse Winker and Eugenio Suárez to add more consistency.
“That was kind of our vision coming into the season, that the upper half doesn't have to always do it,” Murphy said. “It just creates that depth that, hopefully, one through nine is gonna be able to contribute.”
"Tom Murphy"
Tom Murphy's 423-Foot Home Run
Circling back to Rodríguez’s joke with Servais -- there was credence to the humor.
The rookie looked mostly overwhelmed in his first 24-plus hours in The Show, with nothing even close to show for his first seven at-bats. He was baffled by Twins rookie Johan Duran’s elite stuff on Friday (as were the rest of the Mariners), and then he was a victim
of perhaps a wider strike zone in his early at-bats Saturday. He also battled windy conditions while still looking eager in center field.
“It's been a struggle for him so far,” Servais said. “I think he's seen more breaking balls, and certainly quality breaking balls. He's never seen that stuff before, and that's what he's going to get, and he’s going to continue to get it until he lays off and makes some
adjustments -- and he will. But again, in that [ninth-inning] moment, you're not worried about your first hit. You worry about getting on base, and all of a sudden big things happen when you focus on little things.”
As for the keepsake of his first big league hit, Rodríguez said he plans to send the ball home with his parents, who made the trek to Minnesota from the Dominican Republic.
Congrats nino Many more to come! @JRODshow44
Julio Rodríguez's inside-the-park HR
Julio Rodríguez smashes an inside-the-park home run to right field giving the Mariners a 3-2 lead vs the Guardians in the 7th inning
The Seattle Mariners stand against prejudice and bigotry. We will utilize our voice and resources to join with all those working to end systemic racism.
The Seattle Mariners stand against prejudice and bigotry. What happened to George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor is unconscionable. Their deaths were a tragedy; more in far too long a list. And they draw attention to how people of color, particularly
Black men and women, are treated in this country.
The Mariners strive to unify and serve our communities. We have to do more.
We will utilize our voice and resources to join with all those working to end systemic racism.
Tuesday April 26
SEA 8 vs 4 TB
How the Mariners scored seven runs in the fourth inning
Ty France won his first AL Player of the Week Award, sharing the nod with the Tigers' Miguel Cabrera.
Seventh heaven for SeattleThe Mariners took advantage of uncharacteristic errors from the Rays and exploded for 7 runs in the 4th inning.
Logan Gilbert Dominates in Mariners Win
The Mariners kicked off their road trip with an 8-4 win over the Rays thanks in part to Logan Gilbert's stellar outing.
ST. PETERSBURG -- It was an uncharacteristic defensive showing from one of the Majors’ best defensive teams, but the Mariners were glad to exploit those shortcomings in a seven-run fourth inning that led to an 8-4 victory over the Rays on Tuesday.
Seattle opened its nine-game, three-city road trip with a bang at Tropicana Field, a sequence that happened in little more than the blink of an eye. And it led to a win in the Mariners' first meeting with the defending American League East champs this season after
going 6-1 against them last year. Seattle is now on a season-high four-game winning streak, following its impressive 7-2 homestand. A breakdown of that fateful fourth:
Logan Gilbert was DEALING!
5.2 IP 0 ER 2 H 7 K His ERA is down to 0.40
With one out and runners on first and second, the Mariners escaped an inning-ending double play when Wander Franco made a low toss to Brandon Lowe, who caught the ball with his bare right hand but could not maintain secure possession, a replay review ruled.
So Abraham Toro reached, Eugenio Suárez -- who originally went well past second base but yanked his hand back on the bag -- stayed on second and Jesse Winker, who singled, advanced to third.
So... about that fourth inning... #SeaUsRise #ElectricFactory
FULL INNING: Mariners Plate Seven Runs in Fourth
Watch the entire top half of the fourth inning as the Mariners put down a seven-spot against the Rays.
W W W W The @Mariners put up a 7-spot in the 4th.
In the next at-bat, Tom Murphy hit into another potential forceout on a dribbler to Rays first baseman Ji-Man Choi. Yet Choi’s awkward angle on his throw to the plate led the ball to bounce right over catcher Mike Zunino’s shoulder, and in the mix-up, Winker scored
from third and Suárez from second.
After Murphy, Julio Rodríguez lined a 108.6 mph double into the right-center gap that easily scored Toro from third and moved Murphy to third.
Julio Rodríguez's RBI Double
Then, Dylan Moore was just barely hit on his front (left) foot by a pitch on a running cutter to load the bases.
Adam Frazier immediately followed with a down-the-line double to right that cleared the bases, just over Choi’s outstretched reach.
Ty France, fresh off being the Co-AL Player of the Week, scored Frazier with an RBI single directly between the third baseman and shortstop. He also had an RBI in the sixth to bring his season total to an MLB-high 21.
Winker and Suárez then struck out to halt the rally. But the damage was done.
“When they give you an extra out or two, you’ve got to take advantage of it,” said Mariners manager Scott Servais, who was back for the first time since testing positive for COVID last Wednesday. “In the past, we haven't been able to do that.”
Because of the two errors on the force attempts, all seven runs against Rays pitcher Josh Fleming that inning were unearned. It was the first time a team was credited that many unearned runs in a single inning since a Mets-Phillies game Aug. 16, 2018, and the first
time the Mariners were benefactors by that many in a single frame since their 15-2 win over the Blue Jays on May 16, 2002, according to the Mariners.
“That's a credit to our guys,” Servais said. “Our guys are really focused on what we're doing. We have a long season ahead of us but we're excited about the start we're off to. It's a good vibe around our team right now.”
It was an uncharacteristically poor defensive showing from a Rays team that ranks tied for third in the Majors with plus-five outs above average, per Statcast. Yet it was just as critical for the Mariners to exploit those miscues. There are many trademark traits of
good teams, but one that stands out more than others is the ability to consistently capitalize on opponents’ mistakes.
“I think that the most dangerous teams you play are the ones that put the ball in play and have good approaches,” Murphy said. “And I know, from a catcher standpoint, those are the teams that I hate playing. So, hopefully we're one of those teams.”
Seattle extended its AL-best run differential to plus-22. Tuesday’s early cushion allowed Florida native Logan Gilbert to overcome a few command issues early -- he walked three after issuing just one total in his first three starts -- and cruise in front of a huge crowd
of friends and family.
With just two hits allowed over 5 2/3 scoreless innings, Gilbert lowered his ERA to an MLB-best 0.40, with one earned run over 22 1/3 innings.
“You're not always going to always have your best stuff, and I feel good where I'm at,” Gilbert said. “But at the same time, I know that I haven't put it all together yet. So that's why the emphasis on competing and just like finding a way is so important.”
The place to be. #SeaUsRise
J.P. Crawford's Two-Run Homer
Sunday May 1
SEA 7 vs 3 MIA
'Let's go': J-Rod's 450-foot HR powers Mariners
Rookie's 1st career dinger helps club end 4-game slide; Gilbert lowers ERA to 0.64
Julio Rodríguez answered Miami's challenge with his 450-foot jack and got the ball from some young fans.
Mariners vs. Marlins Game Highlights (5/01/22) MLB Highlights
Logan Gilbert Fans Five
Wrapping up the series with a dub. #SeaUsRise
DESTROYED: Julio Rodríguez Crushes First Big-League Homer
Julio Rodríguez sent one 450 feet to tally the first home run of his big-league career.
MIAMI -- When the Marlins intentionally walked Abraham Toro on Sunday afternoon, Julio Rodríguez was ready to make them pay.
Boy, did he.
Rodríguez, baseball’s No. 3 prospect per MLB Pipeline, smashed his first Major League home run in that sixth inning, leading the Mariners to a 7-3 victory in the series finale at loanDepot park.
The three-run homer gave Seattle a 5-0 lead and helped the team snap a four-game slide, while ending Miami’s seven-game winning streak.
“That was a first -- and that’s what they got,” Rodríguez said.
“It was ‘OK, you want to challenge me, I’m going to give you the challenge.’ That is what I was feeling. ‘You want it? Let’s go.’ … I was really excited, honestly. It felt really good to get my first homer in a game like that.”
Rodríguez hit a 3-1 slider from Miami ace Sandy Alcantara (2-1); the ball went off his bat at 110.4 mph and traveled a Statcast-projected 450 feet, making it the longest homer hit by a Mariner this season.
J-Rod hits his first Career HR!
Logan Gilbert Dominates in Series Finale
The Mariners lock down the series finale against the Marlins thanks to Julio Rodríguez's first big league home run and another dominant performance by Logan Gilbert.
“That’s kind of the Julio breakout game,” manager Scott Servais said. “We have been waiting for that first home run to come and it couldn’t have come at a better time. He killed it. That was a bomb. He continues to trend in the right direction. He tells me all the
time that he’s ‘trending.’ We’ll keep riding that trend.”
Alcantara retired the first two batters in the sixth before J.P. Crawford, who extended his hitting streak to 10 games with a solo homer in the second, doubled into the gap.
Miami, which was down 2-0, did not think twice about giving Toro a free pass with first base open and two outs.
“Toro already got a hit to drive in a run,’’ Marlins manager Don Mattingly said. “I know this is a talented young kid that's going to be really good. You hate to get him excited and all, but I mean it's just such a better matchup for Sandy.”
Added Servais: “Toro has been having good at-bats and Julio is a rookie who has not exactly set the world on fire yet. So, make the rookie beat you. And he did.”
The ball ended up going into the open area beyond the left-field fence and Rodríguez had already swung a deal to get it back.
According to him, he was trading a couple of autographed baseballs and a bat for his milestone collector’s item.
“I’m excited to meet [the fans],’’ Rodríguez said. “I have to keep that one.”
Rodríguez’s big bop almost overshadowed another gem from Logan Gilbert (4-0). The right-hander had a no-hitter going until Jon Berti singled with two outs in the fifth. He also got the first two outs of the sixth before Brian Anderson ended his day with a home run to left.
Over 5 2/3 innings, Gilbert, whose 0.64 ERA through the first five starts of a season is the lowest in Mariners history, allowed one run on three hits and four walks to go with five strikeouts. Gilbert, who grew up in the Orlando area and attended Stetson University,
went 2-0 in his two Sunshine State starts. By contrast, the Mariners were 0-4 in games he did not pitch in against the Rays and Marlins.
Well, that's one way to extend your hitting streak to games.
“I love being back home, it’s nice,” said Gilbert, who had a large group of friends and family make it to Miami as they did last week in St. Petersburg.
Logan Gilbert fans five
4 2⁄3 innings of no-hit baseball, four walks and the end of a 17+ scoreless innings streak.
Picked off at first and a 450-foot first career homer after nearly a month of play.
Seattle took a 1-0 lead in the third on a home run from Crawford that landed in the Mariners’ bullpen beyond the right-field wall.
In the fourth, Toro made it 2-0 with a two-out single that scored Jesse Winker.
Miami made it 5-2 in the seventh, but Winker drove in a pair of runs in the ninth to all but seal the deal for Seattle.
The Mariners now head to Houston after going 2-4 in the Florida portion of this nine-game road trip.
“It’s a nice way to be headed to Houston, we certainly needed the ‘W’,” Servais said. “We have had our hands full here, so I think it’s time we got out of Florida.’’
Kyle Lewis' solo home run
Kyle Lewis launches a solo home run over the right-field fence to trim the Mariners' deficit to 6-2 in the top of the 6th
Kyle Lewis proved he could hit the fastball on Friday when he crushed a 95 mph Justin Verlander heater for his first home run of the season. And when the Astros started feeding the Mariners rookie center fielder more offspeed offerings, he countered by bashing a Lance McCullers Jr. curve over the right-field fence Saturday at Minute Maid Park.
Lewis’ early heroics haven’t been enough to help Seattle snap a 12-game losing streak in Houston as it lost Saturday, 7-2, to fall to 0-2 in the opening series. But they have highlighted the Mariners’ youth movement that will mark this shortened season’s progress.
Lewis walked and struck out in his first two at-bats against McCullers, then took an 83 mph curve to the opposite field for a 358-foot homer into the right-field seats in the sixth inning. It wasn’t as visually impressive as his 438-foot blast over the train tracks high above the left-field fence off Verlander, but the maturation of being able to adjust to offspeed offerings and drive the ball the other way is another sign of Lewis’ quick growth.
“I was just sticking with the idea he was going to throw a lot of breaking balls, so you kind of stay back and let the ball get deep and try to go to right-center with it,” the 25-year-old said in an online interview from Houston. “I definitely wanted to hit a breaking ball hard, just to show that I could and for myself as well. It’s always good when I can do that.”
Lewis’ learning curve will be sped up if he shows he can handle curves and changeups and the variety of offspeed offerings that figure to come his way more frequently as teams start focusing on a youngster who already is filling the cleanup role for the youngest team in MLB.
“Certainly we’ve seen Kyle have the ability to do that and he’s going to need to,” manager Scott Servais said. “The league is quickly going to see what kind of ability he has and how he can drive the ball to all fields. He’s in a really good spot, very comfortable. The quality of at-bats are really good with him right now.”
Taijuan Walker K's Carlos Correa
Taijuan Walker strikes out Carlos Correa in the bottom of the 2nd inning
The 6-foot-4, 205-pound Lewis has flexed his muscles since his September callup from Double-A last season. He now has eight homers in his first 20 MLB games, making him one of 13 players since 1920 to manage that feat. The only Seattle player with more home runs in his initial 20 games was Alvin Davis, who hit nine in his first 20 in 1984 on the way to an American League Rookie of the Year season.
The low-key Lewis is taking his early success in stride, but understands it’s not always going to be this easy.
“I’m just really proud of being able to make an impact and come up and have success,” he said. “Every day I lay my head down and just try to wake up and give it my best shot again.”
Since his Sept. 10 debut last year, Lewis’ eight home runs are tied for the most in MLB in that span and he appeared even more locked in from the moment he arrived at the Mariners’ Summer Camp after working hard to get bigger and stronger during the 3 1/2-month shutdown.
Mallex Smith's RBI groundout
Mallex Smith grounds out to Carlos Correa and J.P. Crawford scores from third base in the top of the 5th inning
Going deep off Verlander and McCullers carries a little more weight than his intrasquad success earlier this month, but he’ll keep that in perspective as well.
“I have a lot of confidence coming in from having a great camp and everything,” Lewis said. “I’m just trying to carry that over into the season and not try to make it bigger than what it is. They’re proven pitchers, established pitchers, but they still have to pitch and I’m just going to try to do what I can do.”
Shortstop J.P. Crawford went 3-for-4 with two triples, but the Mariners didn’t have a lot else to crow about Saturday as they dropped to 1-20 against the Astros over the past two years. Taijuan Walker pitched well for three innings as he began his return from 2018 Tommy John surgery, but Houston scored four runs in the fourth and has now outscored Seattle 15-4 in the first two games of the season-opening four-game series.
Evan White
Evan White Collects First Major League Hit
Even though they couldn’t be there for his debut, this moment was everything for Evan White’s family. 💙
Kyle Lewis hit a 438-foot HR and Kyle Seager also went deep, but the Mariners couldn't hold off Houston.
Mariners raise fists for social justice
Highlights 7/24/20
Justin Verlander guides Astros to Opening Day win, Mariners vs. Astros
Kyle Lewis' first HR of 2020
Kyle Lewis opens up the scoring with his first solo home run in the top of the 2nd inning against the Astros on Opening Day
Summer camp never ended for @KLew_5 off @JustinVerlander
DO YOUR THING, @KLew_5
The Mariners’ youth movement got off to an impressive start on Friday’s Opening Day game in Houston as rookie center fielder Kyle Lewis launched a long home run off Justin Verlander in his first at-bat. But while much is different in this belated 2020 season, one
The powerhouse Astros still have the young Mariners’ number as they came from behind for an 8-2 victory to continue their dominance at Minute Maid Park, even without fans as Major League Baseball kicked off a 60-game season following the COVID-19 pandemic
shutdown.
The American League-champion Astros went 18-1 against the Mariners last year and 10-0 in Houston, where the Mariners haven’t won since Sept. 19, 2018.
Three observations on the Mariners from their season opener:
K-Lew's power is legit
Lewis wasted no time showing why he was the talk of Seattle’s Summer Camp with his 438-foot blast off the reigning AL Cy Young Award winner leading off the second.
“You always wonder when you’ll get your first hit of the year, so to get that out of way in my first at-bat was really cool,” said the 25-year-old from Georgia.
Lewis’ shot cleared the train tracks high above the Crawford Boxes in left field, as the 25-year-old turned around a 95-mph fastball from Verlander with a 110.9 mph exit velocity. It was the longest home run hit off Verlander since August 2017 and the fifth-longest
he’s allowed since Statcast was introduced in 2015.
Lewis, Seattle’s first-round Draft pick in 2016, provided a healthy tease of his power potential last year when he became the first MLB player to homer in six of his first 10 career games as a September callup. His 457-foot blast off the Reds’ Lucas Sims on Sept. 12
was the longest by a Mariner last year, and Lewis has now homered seven times in his first 75 Major League at-bats over 19 games.
“Kyle is seeing the ball really well. He jumped on that fastball,” manager Scott Servais said. “After that you saw Verlander make an adjustment, and he didn’t get that pitch again, nothing close to it. That’s going to happen with Kyle. I think he’s going to have a big
year for us. He’s got a lot of ability, a great head on his shoulders and it was great to see him hit the ball like he did. That was a bomb.”
Evan White
Evan White singles in MLB debut
Evan White accomplishes a milestone by recording his first hit of the Majors during Opening Day against the Astros
Seager ready to roll as well
While the kids are the focus for the Mariners this year, 32-year-old Kyle Seager isn’t ready to step aside just yet. The Mariners have just two position starters -- Seager and Mallex Smith -- with more than 206 career games in the big leagues, and Seager -- 1,262
career games -- figures to provide a steadying influence both in the clubhouse and lineup.
A year ago, the third baseman missed the first two months of the season with a torn tendon in his left wrist. Despite the late arrival and a slow start while he regained his timing, Seager finished with a strong second half and wound up with his eighth straight season with 20-plus homers.
Friday’s homer -- a 382-footer into the right-field seats -- was the 199th of his career and fifth off Verlander. He ranks fourth on Seattle’s all-time home run list behind Ken Griffey Jr., Edgar Martinez and Jay Buhner, all members of the Mariners’ Hall of Fame.
Kyle Seager's solo home run
Kyle Seager sends his first solo long ball of 2020 to right-center field and breaks the tie in the 4th inning on Opening Day
“Kyle hits well in this ballpark. He loves hitting here, he gets the ball in the air. He didn’t even get all of that one and it got out in right field,” Servais said. “Kyle had a good camp. He’s on everything, and he hit some balls well tonight again. We need that from him,
certainly where he’s hitting in our lineup. Getting on base, driving the ball, he’s capable of those things.”
Anthony Misiewicz K's Altuve
Anthony Misiewicz picks up a strikeout in his Major League debut against José Altuve during Opening Day
No room for error
The youthful Mariners obviously face tough sledding against the three-time AL West champs, whom they’ll face 10 times in this shortened season. But if the Mariners want to compete, they’ll need to pitch well and play clean defense.
Marco Gonzales looked good for four innings, but didn’t get any help in the fifth when second baseman Shed Long Jr. couldn’t pull in a wide throw from Seager on what almost certainly would have been a double-play grounder by catcher Martín Maldonado.
That set up the game-tying infield single by José Altuve on a grounder deep in the hole to shortstop J.P. Crawford, then a three-run blast by Michael Brantley off reliever Zac Grotz after Smith couldn’t come up with a soft liner to right. A misplay on a high fly from
Carlos Correa by left fielder José Marmolejos, making his first MLB start, allowed another run in the seventh, off reliever Carl Edwards Jr.
With starting pitchers not able to push deep into games yet as they build up following the short Summer Camp, the Mariners’ defense and inexperienced bullpen are going to need to step up.
“I thought Marco threw the ball really well,” Servais said. “Certainly the fifth inning got away from us a little bit. They hit some balls we weren’t able to convert into outs there. Against a club like the Astros, it’s 27 outs, no more. That’s [infield coach] Perry Hill’s
motto, and we gave them a few too many outs tonight.”
Marco Gonzales
Marco Gonzales K's Springer
Marco Gonzales retires George Springer for his first strikeout of the 2020 season on Opening Day