Mariners secure Astros series with hard-fought 3-1 win

Logan Gilbert pitches another gem and the lineup does just enough, to help the Mariners win the series finale in Houston.

Now that’s how you enter an All-Star break, with the event taking place in your own city no less. The Mariners signed off the first half of the season with a series win over the reigning World Series champions, courtesy of a 3-1 victory in the finale.

The Mariners’ bats struggled for a second consecutive game versus the Astros. However, unlike Saturday’s frustrating 3-2 loss, the lineup did just enough to help the team over the finishing line.

Make no mistake about it though, Logan Gilbert was the main reason Seattle was able to secure the win and series. Coming off the first complete game shutout of his Major League career, he continued to pitch lights out in Houston.

He might not have gone the whole way this time, but Gilbert still provided another sublime outing. He went seven innings at Minute Maid Park, allowing just three hits, no walks and one earned run in the process.

A variety of pitches

One of the biggest reasons for the 26-year-old’s recent success, is utilizing all of the pitches at his disposal. Speaking postgame, Mariners manager Scott Servais said:

“Awesome job by Logan today. What a trip he’s had. A complete game, then today, just on top of his stuff.  We’ve just really seen the emergence of his breaking ball, the slider, the curveball and he still has a good fastball. But he’s really pitching well. Not just throwing well, he’s pitching well.”

Gilbert certainly feels better when able to use his different pitches effectively, as and when he wants and needs to. He said:

“The last few weeks I’ve felt I’ve had a good fastball, but it’s really about what I’m going to execute the most and what lines up with what (the coaching staff) is trying to do. The slider was definitely working today and against that (batting) order, it seemed like they were going after the fastball, so the slider down and away helped.”

The 2018 14th overall draft pick is renowned for his competitiveness and always pushing himself. He said:

“I always have high expectations and standards and want to help the team, especially when we were going through a little rough stretch. It seems like everybody is playing well, the whole team right now. I’m just trying to step up and do my part when it’s my day.”

Gilbert threw 94 pitches on the day, with 63 called for strikes. The only mistake he made was in the bottom of the sixth, when he gave up a solo home run blast.

The defining fourth inning

Fortunately for everyone concerned, by this point Seattle had already scored all the runs they would need on the day. All of their scoring came in what proved to be the pivotal fourth inning.

Teoscar Hernandez broke the deadlock with an RBI double. However, it was Jarred Kelenic who had the key at-bat in the inning.

While Kelenic has not been as consistently productive of late, he still seems to come through in crucial situations. His two-run double on Sunday afternoon with one out, increased the lead to 3-0.

The two runs by the 2018 sixth overall draft pick, were the 100th and 101st RBI of his Major League career. The double was his team-tying 22nd of the season, and he has the third-highest WAR in the lineup.

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The Mariners only managed six total hits on the day — one more than a day earlier — but were helped by their own pitching being lights outs. Matt Brash and Paul Sewald each threw a clean inning, to help preserve the lead and secure victory.

Still, Seattle doesn’t put themselves in position to win without Gilbert’s effort. He has proved to be particularly strong on the road, with a 6-1 record and 3.26 ERA in 11 starts this year.

With the 3-1 victory on Sunday, the Mariners have won seven of nine heading into the All-Star Break. They improve to 45-44 and remain in touching distance in the playoff race, 4.0 games back of a wild card spot.

Still in the playoff chase despite up-and-down year

For all their inconsistency during the first few months of the 2023 season, Seattle find themselves in a decent spot all things considered. As Servais said:

“It hasn’t been an easy first half. There have been some struggles, but you look at where we’re at now, and we’re a game over .500. We’ll get a chance to catch our breath a little bit for four days and come out and hopefully, get back after it on the homestand.”

Helping the Mariners’ confidence, is finally ‘vanquishing’ the Astros in Houston. Entering this series, they were just 7-32 at Minute Maid Park since the beginning of the 2019 season.

Servais is under no illusion about how hard it is to beat the reigning World Series champions. He said:

“We’re well aware of what they’ve done in the American League in the last four or five years. This has been a tough place for us, no question about it.”

This time around however, Seattle took three of four, and really it should have arguably been a clean sweep. Regardless, the Mariners are now 5-2 overall this season versus the Astros.

Mariners set themselves up for a second half push

There’s been plenty of times this year when we’ve wondered if Seattle is underachieving, or just not as talented as we thought. Winning a road series in Houston — as well as a home series versus the Rays — seems to allude to the former.

Of course it doesn’t matter how talented you are, if you don’t put it all together on a consistent basis. This will be the challenge for the Mariners after the All-Star break.

Seattle has undoubtedly played well of late, but need to keep it going. As J.P. Crawford said:

“It’s definitely good to finish the first half rolling. We get these couple days to check out, regroup and finish strong. We ended the first half on a positive note, and hopefully, we keep it going when we get back.”

Where is your confidence level at, following the series win versus the Astros? Are the Mariners now set to seriously challenge for the playoffs moving forward, or do you perceive them as a .500 ballclub? Let us know in the comments section below.