The Seattle Mariners complete a second straight comeback win over the St. Louis Cardinals behind clutch hitting and defense.
We’ve written before about how unpredictable this Seattle Mariners team can be, but must also add how streaky they are. When it’s all going well you get the feeling they are unstoppable, whereas when it’s going badly they look like the worst team in the majors.
The latter vibe was there during the past two road trips, but the Mariners were able to turn it around with a combined 28 runs during their last two games in Atlanta versus the Braves. Now they’ve continued this momentum into their home series against the St. Louis Cardinals, albeit it’s been more about clutch hitting as opposed to pulverizing the opponent.
On Monday night the M’s came from 2-0 down to score four runs in the sixth inning and win 4-2. And this continued into Tuesday night, when they were similarly down 2-0 and came back with five combined runs in the third and fourth innings and held on for a 5-3 victory over the Cardinals.
Randy Arozarena has enjoyed a remarkable campaign in Seattle and his three-run homer in the bottom of the third gave the Mariners their first lead of the evening at 3-2. He now has 27 home runs on the season which is a career-high, while his bWAR of 4.3 is the best of his seven years in the majors.
The Cardinals tied the game at 3-3 in the top of the fourth, but the Mariners responded with two runs in the bottom of the inning for an advantage which they would not relinquish. Josh Naylor hit a solo bomb to make it 4-3, before that man Arozarena hit a sacrifice fly to increase the lead to 5-3.
Another tough night at the office for George Kirby
The Mariners had fallen behind 2-0 in the second inning, on a night when George Kirby had another challenging start. The last time out against the Tampa Bay Rays he lasted a career-low 2.0 innings and while he wasn’t as bad against the Cardinals, he still had his struggles.
After giving up his third run in the top of the fourth Kirby subsequently escaped a bases loaded situation to get out of the inning, but this also represented the end of his outing. He concluded the night allowing seven hits and two walks along with the aforementioned three runs, while also striking out two on 85 pitches.
Due to Kirby’s short outing it was up to the bullpen to come through, with them proving to be up to the task. Caleb Ferguson, Eduard Bazardo, Gabe Speier, Matt Brash and Andrés Muñoz each pitched one scoreless inning and combined to allow just two hits and no walks, while striking out seven.
Mariners manager Dan Wilson was particularly happy about what his relievers did on the night, when speaking to the media postgame. He said:
“The bullpen was unbelievable tonight. Covering five innings is difficult, but those guys did a great job and kept the game right where it needed to be. A great job down the line.”
Don’t forget about that Mariners defense
As much as offense and pitching get the majority of the headlines in baseball, we would be remiss not to mention a couple of key defensive plays on the night for the Mariners. The first one came from Julio Rodríguez, who got the final out of the seventh inning:
The other key defensive play came from Naylor in the top of the ninth, with him snagging a sensational first out on a hit which seemed all but certain to get a man on base. This also helped calm down Muñoz who has not been as efficient of late, with him going on to secure his 34th save of the season.
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Josh Naylor better than expected in Seattle
Naylor has been tremendous for the Mariners since arriving from Arizona ahead of the trade deadline, with a 1.5 bWAR in just 39 games. Contrast this to his 0.8 bWAR in 94 games this season with the Diamondbacks, and overall he has tied his career-high bWAR of 2.3 with still 17 games left in the season.
What stood out in particular about Naylor on the night was how fired up he was following his solo home run, which regained the lead for the Mariners. Speaking to the media afterwards about this out-of-character reaction, he said:
“I mean (it’s) big-time games right now. We’re in a really awesome push for the playoffs and an awesome push for the division. It’s just time to go.”
Naylor was then asked about the experience of playing in pressure moments during the season and trying to get into the playoffs. He said:
“It’s what you train for during the offseason to be honest. I always tell people you don’t train in the offseason to be average, you train to be the best and train to be in a situation where you’re playing big-time games against big-time teams. You’re going to have big-time opportunities within a game and it’s super fun and it’s everything you dream of as a baseball player. Obviously the World Series is the end-goal so we’re just playing hard … and try to get a series win every time.”
Wilson was certainly appreciative of what the 2024 All-Star did on the night and what he offers in general, with the clamour only growing among fans to do whatever it takes to re-sign him during the offseason. Wilson said:
“A big night for Naylor. I thought his homer to answer back was huge and got us back in the lead there. I thought his play in the ninth was spectacular. That’s a huge play to get that first out as you know, to get that lead-off guy. … He’s a leader out there on the field and he sees the game differently. As we’ve talked about, he’s a smart player. Having him out there and having him play first base as he does, he’s an exceptional player.”
Rodríguez was also asked about just what Naylor means to the team. The three-time All-Star said:
“He’s a competitor man. He just goes out there to do everything he can to help us win the game. It’s something I respect from him a lot. I’m really happy he’s on our side and competing for us. He brings it every day and you know what you’re going to get out of him. He’s a dog for real.”
Rodríguez gives a shout-out to Mariners fans
As much as the Mariners’ road woes have been well-documented so has their tremendous home form, with a Major League-leading 18-6 record since the All-Star break. Speaking about T-Mobile Park and the support they receive, Rodríguez said:
“I just love to play at home, it’s your home field. They make you feel at home for sure and I love the fans. I love how the fans have been bringing it every single night, especially later in the year. All I wish from them is to keep bringing it and to keep pushing it with us.”
Taking the Mariners’ win combined with the Astros loss, the gap at the top of the AL West has now shrunk to just one game. Although it’s wise to also keep an eye on the Rangers, with them just 1.5 games behind the M’s for the third and final wild card spot and themselves in with a shout at the division title.
Photos courtesy of Tim Rodgers Photography
Pending the Mariners making the playoffs, who would you pick for the third starter in a three-man rotation behind Bryan Woo and Logan Gilbert? Kirby or Luis Castillo, or perhaps even Bryce Miller, and why? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
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