Mariners tie Rays series with impressive 8-3 win

George Kirby pitches arguably his best game of the year, to provide the platform for a well-deserved Mariners victory versus the top team in the Majors.

Saturday was a bit of an anomaly for George Kirby, as he allowed two walks for the first time in 16 starts this season. You would hope he won’t be too hard on himself however, on a day when he helped the Mariners to victory over the Rays.

In many ways, Saturday’s 8-3 win highlighted just how frustrating this Mariners ballclub is. From the depths of losing a can’t-lose three-game set versus the lowly Nationals, they now have the chance to take a series against the team with the best record in the Majors.

Leading the way in the win was Kirby, with arguably his best outing of the season. He didn’t allow a hit until a one-out double in the sixth and gave up a season-low two in total.

The 25-year-old was visibly annoyed at himself after giving up his no-hit bid. He was even more incensed, when the second hit resulted in a two-run homer that tied the ballgame at 2-2 in the top of the sixth.

Ultimately though it didn’t prove costly, as the offense backed Kirby up with more than enough scoring in this one. He went seven innings in total, causing 14 swings and misses on 101 pitches, on his way to seven strikeouts.

Kirby’s competitiveness shines bright

The righty admitted how unhappy he was about giving up a home run in a game where he had been in complete control. Speaking to the media postgame, he said:

“That fricking home run pissed me off pretty good. I was ready to come back out and keep going as long as I needed to.”

Overall though, Kirby was happy he could help his team win with a much-needed seven innings. He said:

“I knew we needed a good start today. We used a lot of bullpen yesterday. So I just wanted to go out there and give my all and compete my ass off.”

Mariners manager Scott Servais discussed just how impressive Kirby is, especially when he’s in a zone. He said:

“George has the weapons and the tools and execution to pitch to a scouting report. And when he’s on his game, that’s what he’s doing. He’s using his best (stuff) against maybe an area where the hitter may be weaker at handling a certain pitch. It’s moving in the right direction.”

Opposing manager Kevin Cash couldn’t help but be equally impressed with what he saw from Kirby. He said:

“He’s got a good fastball. He’s got a good slider. (He) brought out the curveball later in the outing, … but we’ve seen him maybe at his best. You know, when he debuted against us he was really good, and today I think he was really good again.”

Mariners lineup comes to play

There have been far too many games this season, when a superior start from a Mariners pitcher has been let down by inept run support. Thankfully for everyone concerned, Saturday wasn’t one of those occasions.

Seattle got things going in the bottom of the second, courtesy of a Mike Ford single which scored Jarred Kelenic. And when J.P. Crawford made it 2-0 with a solo homer an inning later, they seemed to be in control of a game where Kirby was pitching lights out.

After the Rays caused some angst among the 35,546 in attendance by tying the game, the Mariners retook the lead for good in the bottom of the sixth. Kelenic singled for one of his two hits on the day and Eugenio Suarez scored, to make it 3-2.

This set the stage for Seattle to open the floodgates in the seventh, with a three-run blitz that increased the advantage to 6-2. Teoscar Hernandez hit a two-run ground rule double, followed by Suarez’s sacrifice fly.

The Rays did cause slight concern in the top of the eighth, scoring a run off reliever Justin Topa to creep to within 6-3. However, RBI singles by Crawford and Julio Rodriguez in the bottom of the inning finished the visitors off.

Kelenic gives his take

Kelenic spoke to the media about the mindset of the lineup, which managed 13 hits in total. He said:

“Everybody in the lineup, really, we were just trying to get pitches in the heart of the plate and stay up the middle the other way. I thought we did a really good job today of staying the other way.”

The 2018 sixth overall draft pick was also more than happy to discuss the outing by Kirby. He said:

“He’s a dog – that’s how I describe it. He goes out there, he’s coming at you. He is going to pound the strike zone. He doesn’t really walk anybody, but he’s coming at you.”

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Can the Mariners build some momentum?

As much as this was an impressive win which displayed the Mariners’ potential, they now need to follow it up. They have been extremely inconsistent so far in 2023 and must improve significantly in this respect, if a realistic playoff challenge is going to be possible.

Of course, this leads to the question of how Seattle goes about winning on a more regular basis moving forward? Servais said:

“That’s the question. It starts with really good starting pitching. You can’t make crazy, silly mistakes, having good at-bats and trying to keep constant pressure on their pitching. You have to show up ready to play.”

Along these lines, at least the Mariners can send out their staff ace on Sunday afternoon. As much as Luis Castillo’s had his challenges this year, he’s still one of the game’s top starters.

Understandably, Servais just hopes his players can build on Saturday’s excellent result. He said:

“It’s been a little bit of a struggle (lately). We know that, the guys in the clubhouse know that. So it’s a great way to respond today against a really good team, and a good pitcher on the mound for them.”

What’s your prediction for Sunday afternoon’s rubber match? How realistic is it to expect a Mariners win in the series finale? Let us know in the comments section below.