Marco Gonzales makes it three consecutive quality starts, as Abraham Toro comes through for the Mariners with the clutch hit in 5-3 win over the Tigers.
Marco Gonzales appears to be over his recent slump, which must be a relief to the Mariners. Wednesday night represented his third consecutive quality start, helping lead to a 5-3 win in Detroit.
Prior to his three most recent outings, Gonzales had a streak of allowing at least five earned runs in four of six games. Not that his start versus the Tigers was without its challenges, specifically in the opening two innings.
Not smooth running
In the bottom of the first, the southpaw allowed the first two batters to reach base via a walk and single respectively. However, he managed to recover and get through the inning unscathed, to preserve Seattle’s early 2-0 lead.
Gonzales was less successful in the bottom of the second, after allowing a single and then hitting the next batter. He followed this with a wild pitch, which moved both runners into scoring position.
This led to two runs to tie the score at 2-2. The damage could have been worse, if it weren’t for an excellent diving grab by Eugenio Suarez.
Following the second inning, Gonzales disappeared into the visiting clubhouse. Speaking afterwards, he said:
“In all honesty, I came in and changed my jersey. I just needed to change it up. I didn’t feel like myself. I felt weirdly, like, kind of shaky, just a little off. And I came and changed my jersey and we rolled from there.”
While changing jerseys might have seemed of little significance, it certainly appeared to help. Gonzales rolled off three scoreless innings, before giving up one more score in the bottom of the sixth.
The 30-year-old finished his outing allowing seven hits and three earned runs in six innings. While not as effective as his two previous starts, it was good enough on the night.
Toro is clutch again
As for the offense, they did not match the previous night’s scoring flurry. Regardless, their eight hit-five run performance was still better than the eight games prior to the Detroit series.
Suarez was impressive, with a couple of hits, two RBI and a run. However, the offensive star of the night was Abraham Toro.
In just his second game since being recalled from Triple-A Tacoma, Toro made his mark in clutch fashion during the seventh inning. With the Mariners now trailing 3-2, he hit a two-run homer to reclaim the lead at 4-3.
The Canadian will be the first to admit he’s struggled at the plate this season. And yet when he does come through, it’s often in clutch fashion.
Of Toro’s nine home runs this season, seven have come in the seventh inning or later. On Wednesday night specifically, he had two hits and scored a run of his own.
Afterwards, Toro explained how much he enjoys it when the pressure is intensified. He said:
“I just like those moments, just those tight situations. You just want to drive that run in, simplify your approach, and I think I just like delivering for the team.”
Mariners manager Scott Servais was delighted for Toro. Speaking to the media, he said:
“He’s gotten a lot of big hits. 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.”
Status quo with Mariners bullpen
With a slender lead in place, the Mariners turned to their relievers. As has often been the case this season, they delivered.
Andres Munoz, Erik Swanson and Paul Sewald combined to allow just a single hit and no runs in three innings. As of Thursday morning, the Seattle bullpen is second in the Majors in WHIP and tied second for batting average, while also ranking eighth in ERA.
The 5-3 win was a special one for Servais, coming in his 1,000th game as Mariners manager, but his main concern — as always — was the team. He said:
“It’s nice to get a series win. Hopefully we can continue to roll here tomorrow.”
Interestingly, for all Seattle’s inconsistencies with the bat, they finished second in the AL for August with 39 home runs. This was just one behind the Angels, who played two more games.
Servais touched on how effective the long ball has been of late for his team. He said:
“The home run ball has been our secret weapon lately. It seems like all our runs have been tied around the home run. Fortunately they aren’t all solo homers. We’ve had some guys on base.”
With the win, the Mariners remain half a game behind the Rays in the race for the first AL wild card spot. In terms of any potential end-of-season tie-breakers, Tampa Bay won the season series 2-5.
At 72-58, Seattle is now a season-high 14 games above .500. They will send Logan Gilbert to the mound on Thursday afternoon, as they aim for the series sweep.
Assuming the Mariners make the playoffs, who would be your starting three pitchers in the opening round? Based on Gonzales’ recent good form, has he done enough in your opinion to deserve consideration? Let us know in the comments section below.
