Tyler Anderson dominates to pull Mariners closer in Wild Card Race

The Mariners are approaching the finale of their 2021 MLB Schedule. With two series left against the Oakland Athletics and two against the Los Angeles Angels, they need to win nearly all of their games to have a shot at making the Wild Card race close come to the end of the season. They called upon Tyler Anderson, and he answered resoundingly.

After 25 straight starts of 5 or more innings, Anderson had failed to reach that mark in his previous two starts for the Mariners. He quickly assuaged any worries of a third consecutive short start, making quick work of the Athletics all night.

Tyler Anderson led the Mariners to a 4-2 win behind an incredible outing

Check out how many pitches Anderson threw per inning. When I say he disposed of them quickly, it’s not to be taken lightly.

1. 9
2. 17 (but he struck out the side)
3. 9 (two doubles, then 3 pitches for 3 outs to 3 batters)
4. 16
5. 16
6. 11
7. 13

91 pitches in seven innings, just 13 per inning. What really stands out is that Anderson struck out seven, which ties a season-high. When all was said and done, Anderson threw seven innings, giving up just four hits, one run, while walking one. It was his second-best outing of the year, and best as a Mariners pitcher, with a game score of 71.

It was exactly what the Mariners needed, especially since they were playing the Oakland Athletics, one of the teams that sit ahead of them in the race to those two available Wild Card spots.

As for the offense, it was the top of the order that came through when it mattered, specifically Kyle Seager. He went 3-4 with three RBI, tying a season career-high with 99 so far. JP Crawford, Ty France, and Mitch Haniger all set the table well for him by going a combined 5-11 with one walk and three doubles.

It was exactly what the Mariners needed. They are now three games back of the Blue Jays for the last wild card spot and have three more games left in their series against Oakland. Next up is Marco vs Paul Blackburn, with Flexen vs Irvin (the jackwad) following, and Kikuchi vs Kaprelian to finish out the series. For the Mariners to have any shot of remaining in this, they are going to need to win at least two of the three games. It all started with the masterful start from Tyler Anderson.