Mariners draw first blood in Rangers series with 3-2 win

Luis Castillo excels on the mound and the lineup does just enough, in an important win for the Mariners in their series versus the Rangers.

It didn’t matter that the Texas Rangers entered this series versus the Seattle Mariners with a losing record on the season. This is still the same ball club which won their first World Series last year and as such, they remain the standard until they are officially knocked off their perch.

Despite their subpar 33-35 record prior to Friday night’s series opener at T-Mobile Park, the Rangers are still a dangerous ball club. All it would take was to win two out of three or indeed sweep the Mariners, and they would be right back within touching distance at the top of the AL West.

In the end, for one game at least anyway, the Mariners showed why they are the best team in their division up to this point of the 2024 regular season. It wasn’t easy, but by the end they had emerged as 3-2 winners, in the process improving their record to 15-5 versus the AL West (including 3-1 against the Rangers).

Mariners manager Scott Servais knows how important it is to keep winning inside your own division. Speaking to the media after the game, he said:

“You want to win the West, you’ve got to beat the teams in Texas. … You have to take care of business in your division. We’ve talked about it all year long. Everybody knows what our goals are — get into the playoffs, get deep in the playoffs — but you’ve got to take care of your division.”

The Rock is solid

Leading the charge was Luis Castillo, eager to rebound from a disastrous start in Kansas City, where he allowed five earned runs in 5.0 innings as part of an 8-4 loss for the Mariners. It had also halted a streak of 10 consecutive outings, where he gave up two or fewer earned runs.

As such, there was an understandable concern when Castillo gave up two earned runs in the top of the first, as the Rangers stormed out to an early 2-0 lead. However, this would be the only scoring he allowed, as he battened down the hatches the rest of the way.

By the time the three-time All-Star left after 6.0 innings, he had allowed just four hits and one walk, along with the aforementioned two runs. He also produced seven strikeouts and saw 66 of his 99 pitches go for called strikes.

Castillo would also record his sixth win of the campaign, thanks to the Mariners producing just enough offense and the bullpen shutting out the Rangers the rest of the way. The result was a Major League-best 17th one-run win, eliciting memories of similar consistent outcomes during both the 2021 and 2022 seasons.

Servais was appreciative as always, of the efforts of his staff ace. He said:

“Really proud of the Rock tonight. That first inning, it wasn’t good. He was missing location big-time, and he just said, ‘that’s it.’ He let it go and he got locked in, and it’s exactly what we needed.”

Castillo had almost a matter of fact attitude about his performance. Speaking through an interpreter, after the game, he said:

“I think that’s me. That’s who I am. When I’m able to locate pitches, I think those are the results you’re going to get from me.”

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Garver beginning to warm up

The offense came early for the Mariners, as Mitch Garver responded immediately to the Rangers’ two runs, with a two-run blast in the bottom of the first. This was then followed in the bottom of the third by J.P. Crawford scoring on a fielder’s choice, thanks to a Julio Rodríguez hit.

This gave the Mariners their first lead of the day at 3-2, which would hold up the rest of the way. Mike Baumann, Andrés Muñoz and Ryne Stanek combined to allow just one hit and a walk in the final 3.0 innings, to secure the victory.

For Garver, the hit provided some relief for a player who has begun to hit better recently following a poor start to his first year in Seattle. Speaking to the media postgame, he said:

“I’m seeing the ball better, working walks, just getting my swing off on pitches that I can hit, and pitches I can’t hit. If I can get my swing off on those pitches too, that’s great. Any time I try to aim the ball or shoot the other way or do whatever, (I) just try to be athletic and let it happen.”

As with Servais, Garver knows how important it is to keep gathering victories within the division. He said:

“It’s going to be a fight all the way to the end. Nobody is going to roll over, especially in this division. Both Texas and Houston are well in it right now. It’s super early. So, stacking wins is a good thing.”

With the win, the Mariners increased their lead in the AL West to 6.5 games over the Rangers. They will send George Kirby to the mound on Saturday afternoon, as they aim to win the series with a game to spare.

How much would a series win versus the reigning World Series champions convince you the Mariners are for real? Or do you already believe they are a playoff team? Let us know in the comments section below.