Mariners capitalize on errors to beat Twins 3-2 in extra innings

Cal Raleigh drives in the winning run in the 10th inning, as Logan Gilbert once again pitches well in an important victory for the Mariners.

Following the completion of an extremely disappointing 3-6 road trip, the Seattle Mariners headed back home to recoup. However, things weren’t going to get any easier, as they prepared to host a Minnesota Twins team in a wild card spot and with a winning record on their travels.

However, as poor as the Mariners have been on the road so far this season, they’ve been just as good (if not better) at T-Mobile Park. As a result, for one game at least they calmed concerns with a crucial 3-2 win versus the Twins.

Not that it was smooth sailing for the Mariners, who needed extra innings to secure the victory, which came courtesy of an error by the Twins. Cal Raleigh’s tame drive fell nicely for pitcher Cole Sands, but his throw to home plate went wide and allowed J.P. Crawford to score the winning run.

In fact all three of the Mariners’ runs came as a result of mistakes by the Twins, not that there were any complaints. The main thing was that the win combined with a Houston Astros loss, improved the lead in the AL West to 5.5 games; no matter what stage of the season we’re at, the M’s need to grab any advantage they can.

Raleigh knows he got some good fortune with his at-bat in the bottom of the 10th, but was grateful regardless. Speaking to the media postgame, he said:

“I kind of got rewarded for swinging at a bad pitch, but you know, it’s kind of how baseball is sometimes. You’ve just got to put the ball in play. Definitely, probably not the right way to do it there, but we take what we can get.”

In any event, it was a positive end to a frustrating evening for one of the Mariners’ few clutch bats. He said:

“I don’t know if it was a bad throw or the ball popped out, but I remember we kind of got a lucky break there. But it’s a part of the game. You’ve got to make clean plays. You’ve got to play clean defense, especially in this league. Mistakes will really show up, and guys will take advantage.”

Gilbert continues to lead the way

Aside from the Twins’ mistakes, the Mariners’ main reason for winning was yet another sound outing from Logan Gilbert. While not quite as dominant as his two previous starts, he did more than enough to put his team in position to get the victory.

On the night Gilbert gave up just four hits, no walks and two earned runs. He also struck out three batters, as he took 92 pitches to get through his 6.0 innings of action.

The aforementioned two runs came in the top of the sixth, just one inning after a Josh Rojas RBI double had given the Mariners a 1-0 lead. Gilbert allowed a two-run blast by the Twins’ Carlos Correa, which he later acknowledged was down to poor location on his part.

In any event, it was the only thing which went wrong for Gilbert on the night, as he pitched his Major League-leading 14th quality start of the season. In fact he’s now making a case that he should be the staff ace, as opposed to Luis Castillo or George Kirby. (A nice ‘problem’ for the Mariners to have.)

Along these lines, Gilbert leads the Majors in total innings pitched, while also pacing the American League with the most starts and lowest WHIP. Not surprisingly, he is currently projected to have the best year of his four seasons with the Mariners.

Certainly, Mariners manager Scott Servais appreciated the performance of Gilbert. Also speaking to the media postgame, he said:

“That’s what you do when you’re a top-end starter. He’s been carrying us, every time out there I feel like we’re going to win the game and he’s going to throw a shutout. Close tonight, unfortunately Correa got him. But great win and great way to start the series.”

• Mariners complete strong road trip but Matt Brash causes concern
• Key Takeaways from Seattle Storm’s Thrilling Preseason Match
• FIFA Empowers Afghan Women Footballers with Historic Regulation Change
• Seahawks 2026 Draft: Analysis of Key Picks and Strategies
• Key Stats from Seattle Storm vs Golden State Valkyries Preseason Clash

Mariners bullpen doesn’t let the side down

In this respect, the Mariners’ bullpen shut down the Twins the rest of the way, including extra innings. In 4.0 innings, they combined to allow just two hits, zero walks and, most importantly, no runs.

However, the Mariners wouldn’t have even made it to extra innings, if it wasn’t for another of the Twins’ aforementioned mistakes in the bottom of the eighth. A Julio Rodríguez hit resulted in a missed tag and then a throwing error at first base, with the outcome being that Luke Raley scored to tie the game at 2-2.

As close as the game was, it’s something the Mariners have been used to — and excelled at — in recent seasons. As Servais said:

“If you can stay close in those games, we will find a way. We may not always get it done, but we are going to have the winning or tying run at the plate almost every game. That’s what our crowd expects, that’s what our players expect.”

The Mariners will now aim to continue the momentum and try to secure at least a series win, if not sweep, against the Twins. Bryce Miller will get the ball on Saturday evening, while Servais has yet to decide on a starter for Sunday afternoon’s finale.

Is Gilbert at the point where he should now be considered the Mariners’ staff ace? Or do you still want to see more from him? Let us know in the comments section below.