Mariners: 3 takeaways from series win versus Los Angeles Angels

The Seattle Mariners return to winning ways at T-Mobile Park, as they take high-scoring series versus the Los Angeles Angels.

It would have been easy for the Mariners to be demoralized after losing three of four games in Houston. Combined with the injuries and uncertainty surrounding the starting rotation, everyone was waiting to see how they would react.

Fortunately for Mariners fans, one of the main traits of this ball club is their resiliency, which was on display during the three games against the Angels. There was plenty of offense in the first two games, as the M’s won 7-4 on Friday, but lost 10-5 the following night.

When it mattered most however, the home side relied on pitching and defense to take the rubber game 2-0 on Sunday and clinch the series win. Let’s get to the takeaways, along with some other notable highlights:

3) Disastrous outing by Newsome dooms Mariners

Ljay Newsome had some experience of beginning games last year during his first season in the Majors, with four starts. Overall he was fairly solid, save for one tough outing against the San Francisco Giants, when he allowed eight hits and five earned runs in just 3.0 innings.

Unfortunately for the Mariners, Newsome exceeded even this during his first start of the 2021 season on Saturday night. As a result, there are arguably even more questions when it comes to the starters moving forward. (The intention is to stick with the six-man rotation.)

After striking out the first batter he faced, the 24-year-old issued a walk. Next up was a certain Mike Trout, who proceeded to blast his seventh home run of the season and give the Angels an early lead.

Down 3-0 following the first inning, things got even worse for the Mariners in the second, as Newsome clearly struggled with his command. He went on to allow seven hits, eight earned runs and two walks in total.

As a result, the right-handed pitcher only lasted two innings, as he didn’t even reach his set threshold of 75-80 pitches. By extension, only throwing 52 pitches also meant the bullpen had to take over earlier than envisioned (and hoped).

It is widely accepted Newsome doesn’t have the most impressive fastball, which is why his command is so important. When it’s not there, you get outcomes like the one against the Angels.

Newsome discussed his performance following the game and was candid about what went wrong. Speaking to the media, he said:

“I was finishing a lot of them in the middle of the plate. That’s not my game.

“I usually stay to the edges, but I kind of fell right in the middle. When the command is not perfect, I just have to mix it up more … I was throwing a lot of fastballs just right down the middle.”

Mariners manager Scott Servais backed up this assessment. Also speaking to the media after the game, he said:

“He attacks the strike zone; he’s gonna go right after people. [However], if he’s not locating and getting that secondary pitch to kind of get them off the fastball a little bit, it’s a struggle.”

There have been some calls for Logan Gilbert to get his opportunity, but it’s still too early for the top-rated prospect. As things stand, Newsome is scheduled to get another start in the series next weekend against the Texas Rangers.

In fairness to Newsome he had looked pretty good in his four relief appearances prior to the Angels game, with a 1.69 ERA. .167 batting average, 11 strikeouts and just one walk in 10.2 innings. It will be interesting to see how he responds to his outing on Saturday night.

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