FanSided

Mariners vs. Twins: Luke rallies, Gilbert keeps it quality, and Seattle stays chaotic

Despite an electric extra innings victory to kick things off, Seattle failed to keep up their momentum at home as they lost the series to the Twins

By Jason Wang |
Minnesota Twins v Seattle Mariners
Minnesota Twins v Seattle Mariners / Brandon Sloter/GettyImages
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The Mariners are starting to slip at the worst time. A division lead that seemed comfortable has slowly tightened over the past few weeks, made worse by a few rough series in a row. They've won just three out of their last ten games while the Astros have won nine out of their last ten games, bringing them within 3.5 games of the AL West lead.

Best Hitter: Luke Raley

10 PA, .444/.444/.556 4 H, 1 2B, 2 R, 1 RBI, 3 K

Raley has officially leapfrogged Dylan Moore to become the best qualified hitter on the team, bringing his OPS to .754 and his OPS+ to 118. While it is a little concerning that Seattle doesn't have a single player with an OPS above .760, the team has made it work thus far (kinda) and there's a rotation of guys that step up to the plate series by series.

It was Raley's turn this time, ending his June on a strong note. It was his best month of the year so far with an .857 OPS over 83 plate appearances and was one of the few bright spots on an otherwise dim lineup of slumping bats.

Honorable Mention: Mitch Haniger

7 PA, .299/.429/.800, 1 H, 1 HR, 2 R, 1 RBI, 2 BB, 3 K

How rough was the Mariners' offense this weekend? Mitch Haniger had the highest OPS on the team by hitting one home run, the only home run hit by anyone on the team. To be fair, he also had two walks which helped lift his on-base percentage and his four total bases was tied for second on the team with Jorge Polanco and Josh Rojas despite Haniger having four fewer plate appearances.

His home run was a 383-foot shot to left field against a Pablo López curveball that ended up right in the heart of the zone. Haniger has actually been crushing curveballs this year, averaging .421 and slugging .684 against the pitch.

Best Pitcher: Logan Gilbert

6.0 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 3 K

Gilbert kept his cool, even after surrendering a two-run home run to Carlos Correa in the sixth inning. He had 13 swings and misses, five of which were on his four-seam fastball and three of which were on his splitter, and it was his 14th quality start of the season.

Consistency has been the name of the game for Gilbert this year, with all but three of his outings being quality starts. His 2.72 ERA and 0.881 WHIP are a testament to this and prove just how invaluable he has been to the Seattle rotation.

Honorable Mention: Bryce Miller

5.0 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 6 K

Bryce bounced back after a brutal last outing in Miami where he conceded six earned runs in four innings. Although he only went five innings, he was able to keep the Twins to just two earned runs while striking out six. He had 14 swings and misses, split evenly between his slider, splitter, and four-seam fastball.

Miller was able to bring his June ERA down slightly to 4.68 but after back-to-back months of >4.50 ERA, he might have to change things up if he wants to get back on track to where he was at the beginning of the season.

Best Moment: Work smaller, not harder

The first game of the series was undoubtedly the best for fans, not just because it was the only win, but because of the way in which Seattle clinched the victory. After Correa's go-ahead two-run home run in the sixth inning, the Mariners weren't able to get into scoring position until the eighth inning.

Mitch Haniger worked a leadoff walk and Josh Rojas hit a single. J.P. Crawford laid down a bunt but popped out to Jose Miranda at third base. Julio Rodríguez stepped into the box and after a choked up swing that sent the ball to third base, Jose Miranda snagged the ball and tried to tag pinch runner Luke Raley before throwing to first base. A relatively straightforward play turned disastrous after Raley avoided the tag and Carlos Santana failed to pick the throw, allowing Julio to reach and more importantly Raley to score, tying the game.

In the tenth inning, Julio grounded out to advance J.P. Crawford to third base before Cal Raleigh, as he tends to do these days, came up clutch with a swinging bunt that chopped the ground ball towards first base. Fielded by pitcher Cole Sands, the Twins failed to get the throw home and Crawford scored the winning run, walking things off and sealing the 3-2 win.

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