Mariners vs. Yankees: M’s Out Bomb The Bombers

The Seattle Mariners just completed what would likely be their hardest series of the year as they get the final two games to win their first series in New York since 2016.

The most impressive part of these wins is the fact that they were able to win without All-Stars Ty France and Julio Rodriguez who are dealing with injuries, and Rodriguez landed on the 10-day IL the day before the series started.

Seattle’s trade acquisitions showed up big time in the Bronx. The combination of Adam Frazier, Jesse Winker, Eugenio Suarez, and Carlos Santana went 16 for 43 with an additional seven walks for the series. They drove in 12 of the 17 runs that the Mariners scored.

Game one of the series was pretty frustrating.

Marco Gonzales did not have a good showing. For the seventh time this year, Marco couldn’t go past 5.1 innings. In those seven games, the Mariners have a 1-6 record on the year with the lone win coming in a game where the offense was able to provide seven runs of support against the A’s earlier this season. Additionally, Marco had to throw 110 pitches to help make up for the lack of arms in the bullpen available for the game.

This was obviously not the time to have his worst performance of the year. Marco gave up six runs, all earned, and all of which came on home runs from the Yankees. Anthony Rizzo’s three-run bomb in the first would have been enough against the Mariners offense that evening but Aaron Judge’s two-run homer in the second and Jose Trevino’s pair of solo shots in the fourth and eighth innings provided security.

But there should be some sort of accountability for the offense in game one. They left seven runners on in the first five innings, three of which were in scoring position. But I would say they redeemed themselves in the next two games.

A two-run shot in the top of the first from Suarez, a solo shot from Cal Raleigh in the second, and a third-inning sacrifice fly by Santana got game two moving as they took a 4-0 lead into the bottom of the fourth where the Yankees had a surge of their own.

The bomber scored two of their three runs in the second from a homer courtesy of Jose Trevino who hit .500 with three home runs for the series. Trevino actually has been very good against Seattle in his career, batting .344 with 13 extra-base hits in 19 games against them.

But Santana came back the very next inning and hit a two-run double, in which he got thrown out at third, to extend the lead.

The Mariners offense was heating up, and it lead to a great finish to the series

Another pair of home runs from New York tied the ballgame going into the seventh inning. Then Scott Servias pinch hit Sam Haggerty for Jarred Kelenic who’d had a frustrating return to the Mariners lineup in which he has one hit in his 13 at bats back. Haggerty would send one deep to left field and give the Mariners the lead again. Haggerty got another hit and score an insurance run in the ninth.

This game was still in jeopardy after a shaky ninth inning from Andres Munoz. He got two quick strikeouts but then after an unreal single by DJ LaMahieu, Munoz walked Judge and Rizzo to load the bases. Munoz was able to calm down and get Gleyber Torres swinging on a slider to end the game and get the 8-6 win.

Logan Gilbert, like Marco, gave up his most runs of the year in this one. But the bullpen used a lot of its top guys and they were able to hold on and put themselves in a position to steal the series

The series finale started a lot like game two. The Mariners battered Gerrit Cole early. Suarez hit a three-run home run in the first after Frazier and Winker reached base. Then Santana got in on the fun with a solo blast. And then Kelenic got his only hit since coming back up but it was also a home run, scoring himself and JP Crawford. They got through their entire lineup in the first inning. After that all the Mariners managed to put up was a Winker solo home run in the seventh.

The star of this game was new Mariners pitcher Luis Castillo. Castillo was able to rack up eight strikeouts in his 6.2 innings, only allowing three runs and two came on a two-run shot on Castillo’s 109th and final pitch of the evening. He is going to fit very well into this rotation and he is set to get his first start in Seattle against this same Yankees lineup next week.

The record doesn’t look pretty from this road stretch, going 3-4, but man the Mariners put together some good performances. Especially to win the series against the 70-win Yankees with no Julio or Ty.

They have set themselves up with a bit of cushion in these next two series, both at home, against the Angels and Yankees.