Mariners come off the ropes to knockout Braves 10-2

The Seattle Mariners get a much-needed win in Atlanta against the Braves, but now the key is to build on this moving forward.

For six innings on Saturday evening it was close in Atlanta, with the Mariners and Braves tied at 2-2. With 11 losses in their previous 12 road games including a late defeat the previous night, M’s fans could be forgiven for wondering what was going to go wrong on this occasion.

This time though it would be the Mariners who delivered the fatal blow, and with real panache as the bats came alive. Seven combined runs in the seventh and eighth innings gave the visitors an insurmountable lead, as they went on to beat the Braves 10-2 and secure a much-needed road win.

The 10 runs equalled the Mariners’ total for the previous three games combined, as they produced 11 hits while also adding nine walks. There were any number of players who created headlines on their own, on a rare night (of late) when everything went right for an embattled team.

Julio Rodríguez leads the Mariners’ charge

Julio Rodríguez continued his now standard second-half offensive surge, as he went 3-for-5 with two home runs and four RBI. The first bomb opened the scoring in the top of the first, while his second one in the seventh regained the lead for the M’s at 4-2, to put them on the way to victory.

Rodríguez’s 30 home runs on the season are now the second-most of his four years in the majors and he has a realistic shot at surpassing his career-high of 32 set in 2023. And whisper it quietly, but if he can snag six more stolen bases then he will secure the second 30/30 season of his Major League career.

Cal Raleigh only had one hit on the night and it came in the ninth inning, when the game was already beyond doubt. However, his solo blast represented the 52nd home run of a special season, to extend his lead over the Phillies’ Kyle Schwarber to three and equal the all-time record of 42 in a season as a catcher

Another player worthy of note was Víctor Robles, who was in his first game back from a (reduced) seven-game suspension for throwing a bat at an opponent. He produced a hit and a walk in four at-bats, and he could well prove to be the missing ingredient to help get the Mariners’ playoff push back on track.

Bryce Miller continues to look more like last season

No matter how many offensive headlines we offer though, the Mariners are not in a position for their late-game heroics without Bryce Miller. As much as some might contend he wasn’t stellar on the night, he was still more than good enough to keep the visitors in with a fighter’s chance of winning.

In total Miller went 5.1 innings and allowed five hits, a couple of walks and two earned runs, while also striking out three over 92 total pitches. He’s clearly looking more like the pitcher we saw in 2024, since returning from his second stint on the injured list this season with right elbow inflammation.

Miller is the most unassuming member of the Mariners’ preferred rotation, and yet he has been the starter in the team’s only two road wins in their past 13 games. With reference to 2024 again, it’s worth noting he ended up leading all M’s pitchers with a career-high 3.4 WAR.

As much as Miller did his bit, he began to tire in the fifth inning and by the bottom of the sixth had allowed the bases to be loaded with just one out. As such M’s manager Dan Wilson turned to Gabe Speier, who subsequently got the final two outs but did allow the Braves to tie the game courtesy of a sacrifice fly run which was ‘credited’ to Miller.

After this though it was lights-out by the Mariners’ bullpen, as Eduard Bazardo, Caleb Ferguson and Luke Jackson each pitched a scoreless inning and combined to allow just one hit. For Ferguson in particular he needed an outing like this, given his overall struggles since arriving from Pittsburgh prior to the trade deadline.

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Bryce Miller discuss his performance

Postgame, Miller spoke to the media and was asked about his outing overall, He said:

“Yes I thought it was good. I came out attacking, that was the gameplan and I think I executed that. Not as good in the fifth and sixth inning, but Gabe came in — I didn’t give him the best situation — and came out of it with just the one run and the team got the win. That’s the main thing to get back in the win column and hopefully we can start clicking.”

The 27-year-old was also asked about how he feels since coming back from his second stint on the injured list. He said:

“Everything’s felt great since I came back. It was a little bit more humid here (in Atlanta) so I was sweating a little more than usual, but everything arm-wise has felt really good. Especially early in the game the velo was good and throughout the game, so I was happy with that. I’ve just got to get used to going 90+ (pitches) again and making good pitches and finish the sixth inning. … but everything felt really good.”

Despite focusing on his own performance, Miller couldn’t help but join most other people in marvelling at how well Rodríguez has played since just before the All-Star break. He said:

“Defensively and at the plate he’s got unreal talent. I think people forget that he’s also only 24 years old and still getting better. He’s a lot of fun to watch and fun to play with.”

One night after appearing understandably dejected and worn down by the road woes, Wilson was more like his usual upbeat and positive self. As per Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times, he said:

“It’s been a little while coming. It was a little frustrating there for a little bit because we couldn’t get anybody in. But after that the flood gates opened. It’s something that we really needed tonight and a good one to go in tomorrow with.”

With the win the Mariners improve to 74-68 and hold a 1.0 game lead over the Royals, 1.5 games over the Rangers and 2.0 games over the Guardians. They will send Luis Castillo to the mound for Sunday’s series finale in Atlanta, and hope he can end a nightmare stretch which has produced a 10.06 ERA, 7.02 FIP and 2.18 WHIP oven his past four starts.

Photos court​‌esy of Tim Rodgers Photography

How much do you expect Robles to help the Mariners moving forward, whether at home OR on the road? Is he the key component who will ultimately help the team make the playoffs this season? Let us know in the comments section below.