Bryce Miller gave the Mariners exactly what they needed in Denver. The rest of the team did not.
Seattle’s starter turned in his best outing since July 31 against the Twins, and maybe better than that one. Miller worked into the sixth inning for the first time since August 12 against the Yankees, struck out five, and didn’t allow an earned run. The lone blemish against him came on a run that was charged after two errors by his catcher and right fielder opened the door for Colorado.
Miller was sharper in the zone, too. After walking five against the A’s, he trimmed that number to two and looked much more in control of his fastball command.
He mixed his splitter and cutter well, used them to set up the heater at the top of the zone, and kept the Rockies from doing much damage when they did make contact. Hunter Goodman’s hard-hit ball in the first inning ended up in Julio Rodríguez’s glove, and that was about as loud as Colorado got against him.
“He was a different guy out there tonight,” said manager Dan Wilson postgame.
That part was easy to see. Miller also said after the game that he came in with a plan to use his splitter and slider in the altitude at Coors Field, but the bigger focus this week was getting his fastball command back and “putting it where it needs to go.”
Seattle gave Miller an early cushion and then basically stopped hitting.
The Mariners jumped ahead in the first when Dominic Canzone worked a two-out walk and Cal Raleigh crushed a 3-1 sinker for a towering homer. The ball was initially listed at 472 feet before Statcast adjusted it to 459, still the longest home run of Raleigh’s career. Randy Arozarena added a solo shot later, his 26th of the season, but that was the extent of the damage the Mariners could do at the plate.
For a while, it looked like that would be enough.
Then the seventh inning happened, and the Mariners did what they’ve done too often: let a game slip away by turning balls in play into problems. Zac Veen singled against Carlos Vargas, Adael Amador followed with another hit, and Dan Wilson turned to José Ferrer to try to get the final outs. Jake McCarthy’s soft grounder allowed Veen to score, Connor Norby then dropped a nubber in front of Weston Wilson at third, and TJ Rumfield followed with a single that tied the game.
Wilson went back to the bullpen for Cooper Criswell, but the inning kept unraveling. Criswell walked Hunter Goodman, then Cole Carrigg came through with a two-run single on a full-count pitch in the middle of the plate. Just like that, Colorado had a 5-3 lead, and that’s where it stayed.
The Mariners’ offense had chances, but not enough impact. Their xBA was better than Colorado’s through the eighth inning, sitting at .278 to the Rockies’ .213, but the bats still went quiet when it mattered and the defense didn’t hold up behind Miller’s effort.
It leaves Seattle with another loss in a season that keeps finding new ways to be frustrating. Miller did his job.
The rest of the night didn’t. Tomorrow, Kade Anderson gets the ball, and the Mariners will try to avoid another rough one at Coors Field.
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