Julio Rodriguez didn’t need long to make his return count.
Back in the lineup after being activated from the 7-day concussion injured list earlier in the day, Rodriguez delivered the decisive blow Saturday, lifting a sacrifice fly with one out in the bottom of the 10th to send the Seattle Mariners to a 4-3 walk-off win over the visiting San Francisco Giants.
Seattle had already gotten a major lift from Cole Young, whose three-run homer erased a deficit and helped the Mariners snap out of a rough stretch. Young finished with the club’s lone long ball, and the Mariners won for just the second time in their past eight games.
The Giants had taken control early and carried a 3-0 lead into the late innings. Rafael Devers and Willy Adames each hit solo home runs, with Devers’ blast in the sixth initially called foul before the umpires huddled and overturned the ruling.
Replays showed the ball cleared the fence a foot or so inside the foul pole. Adames followed two outs later with another drive down the right field line.
San Francisco’s first run came in the third on an unearned sequence that started with Drew Gilbert’s single to right. After Luis Arraez hit a grounder to the right side, Josh Naylor couldn’t quite reach it and Young made a diving stop on the outfield grass before throwing errantly with Bryan Woo covering first. Arraez was credited with an infield single, and Bryce Eldridge then lined a single to center as Gilbert scored when Luke Raley bobbled the ball and was charged with an error.
For most of the night, Logan Webb had the Mariners bottled up. Seattle managed only one hit through the first six innings against the All-Star, a leadoff single by Young in the third on a soft liner to left.
Then the game flipped in the seventh. Randy Arozarena was hit by a pitch with one out, Josh Naylor walked, and Seattle finally had a runner in scoring position. After Cal Raleigh flied out, Young jumped on an 0-1 sweeper and sent it into the seats in right-center to tie the game at 3-3.
Neither starter ended up with the decision, even though both turned in quality work. Webb allowed three runs on two hits over 6 2/3 innings, walking one and striking out five. Woo gave up three runs, two earned, on six hits in six innings, with two walks and seven strikeouts.
In the 10th, San Francisco came up empty against Jose A. Ferrer, leaving Victor Robles to begin the bottom half as the automatic runner at second.
Colt Emerson moved him to third with a sacrifice bunt, J.P. Crawford drew a walk, and then Rodriguez lined a ball to left off Dylan Smith to end it.
In Other News...
Giants Linked To Trade Idea That Would Cost Two Trusted Pieces
A speculative trade idea from Jim Bowden of The Athletic has the Giants in the middle of a deal that would bring in a frontline arm while asking San Francisco to part with two young, controllable pieces. The concept is built around Seattle dealing from its starting rotation depth to help solve offensive and bullpen needs, a framework that at least makes sense on paper for a Mariners club trying to balance the roster around its pitching strength.
For the Giants, the appeal is obvious because a pitcher of that caliber would fit into a rotation that can always use another proven starter. But the cost is steep, especially when the return would come from players the organization has reason to value for the long haul, and the fact that both are controlled well into the future only sharpens the question of whether San Francisco would really want to move that kind of stability for a hypothetical upgrade now. [Read more 🡒]
Giants Injury Picture Just Got More Concerning Than Fans Feared
The Giants injured list is starting to look less like a temporary inconvenience and more like a running roster subplot, with a cluster of pitchers working back from major arm procedures and a pair of outfielders sidelined by oblique strains. Matt Chapman remains one of the more immediate names to watch, with the third baseman aiming to get back during the next homestand, while Harrison Bader is moving toward a second-half return as he works through left plantar fasciitis.
Elsewhere, the rehab picture stretches from short-term uncertainty to the far edge of the calendar. Matt Gage, Jose Butto, Hayden Birdsong, Randy Rodriguez and Rowan Wick are all at different stages of recovery, and the range of outcomes is wide enough to keep the Giants depth chart in motion for a while. For a club trying to piece together innings and at-bats, the concern is not just who is out now, but how long the ripple effects might last. [Read more 🡒]
Giants Suddenly Have Trade Deadline Leverage Fans Did Not Expect
The Yankees outfield situation has become one of the more interesting ripple effects to watch as the trade deadline approaches, and it has a way of putting the Giants right in the middle of the conversation. With Aaron Judge still sidelined by a rib fracture, New York has reason to at least explore outside help, which naturally turns attention toward clubs with outfield depth and players who could be moved without completely emptying the roster.
For San Francisco, that means a suddenly useful kind of leverage. Jung Hoo Lee, Heliot Ramos and Harrison Bader all give the Giants different ways to answer calls, whether a rival is looking for upside, power or a more affordable fit. The question now is not whether the market will come asking, but which of those names the Giants are actually willing to make available when the phone starts ringing. [Read more 🡒]