Mariners end losing streak in style with 9-0 win in Miami

Logan Gilbert excels for a second consecutive start while the Seattle Mariners bats break out, led by a career day from Dominic Canzone.

While not exactly a disaster, the Seattle Mariners were in a spot of bother. They entered Saturday’s contest on a three-game losing streak, their worst such run of results since late May.

The losing run included a frustrating 3-2 extra innings loss a night earlier, in the series opener versus the Miami Marlins. Well, the Mariners made up for things with some panache, as they blanked the Marlins 9-0 to get back in the win column.

Leading the way was Logan Gilbert, who for the second consecutive start went 8.0 innings of shutout baseball. On this occasion, he allowed just four hits and a walk on 92 pitches, striking out six batters in the process.

On a pitching staff which includes George Kirby and Luis Castillo, Gilbert has arguably been the best of the bunch so far. Among other things, he leads all Mariners pitchers with 13 quality starts and a 2.3 WAR.

On a larger scale, Gilbert leads all qualifying AL pitchers with a 0.893 WHIP and is seventh with a 2.71 ERA. His .575 OPS against is fourth best, while he is tied-ninth with a 5.2 percent walk rate.

Servais raves about Gilbert

Mariners manager Scott Servais was appreciative — as always — of what Gilbert did for the ball club. Speaking to the media postgame, Servais said:

“You can’t talk about this game without talking about Logan Gilbert and the stretch that he’s on right now. It’s been awesome to watch. So proud of him.”

From Gilbert’s perspective, he was more than happy to share around the credit, while still acknowledging his mindset regarding his approach to the game. He said:

“Defense really picked me up today, of course, the offense with the runs, too. If we have 10 runs, I’m still trying to come out with zero runs regardless. Sometimes the close games are more competitive and every pitch matters and you feel that intensity. I’m not wishing for one-run games, but it’s fun either way.”

Another example of Gilbert’s mindset came in his attempts to persuade Servais to let him go back out for the ninth inning. The righty even went as far as ignoring his manager’s handshake attempt after completing his eighth inning.

This wasn’t about disrespect though, just Gilbert’s competitiveness. Afterwards, he joked about the interaction — or lack thereof — as he said:

“I was saying I should have went into the dugout through the other side, farther down towards first base. That’s what I was telling Castillo. We were talking about that. I tried to keep my head down and just walk past but didn’t get away.”

Regardless, Eduard Bazardo came in for the ninth to complete the shutout, as he breezed through all three opposing batters. This was no mean feat for Bazardo, given he entered the game with a 7.94 ERA on the season.

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Canzone leads the Mariners offense

Offensively, the Mariners lineup came to play and produced 15 hits even without Julio Rodriguez, who was given a day off. Leading the way was Dominic Canzone, who tied a career-high with four hits.

Those four hits included a homer and two RBI, as Canzone also had three runs of his own. Speaking after the game, he said:

“The results obviously are great, but I’ve also barreled up some balls and kind of gone at people as well.”

The Mariners offense came out firing essentially from the word go, as they scored two runs in the top of the first for an early 2-0 advantage. However, it was the fourth inning when they all but put the game to bed, with four runs that gave the visitors a 6-0 lead.

Ryan Bliss was the other offensive standout on the day, with three hits and two RBI of his own. Overall, Servais was happy with the lineup’s production, as he said:

“Just a well-played game, offensively we did a lot of good things. With Logan on the mound, it’s exactly what we needed.”

With the victory the Mariners maintain a 7.0 game lead at the top of the AL West, with a 45-34 record. They will send Bryce Miller to the mound on Sunday, in their attempts to win the rubber match in Miami.

If the Mariners were beginning a playoff series today, who would you have as your first starter? Gilbert, Castillo, or Kirby, and why? Let us know in the comments section below.