SEATTLE - The Seattle Mariners got exactly the kind of win they needed Saturday, and they had to scratch and claw for every bit of it.
With trade chatter and injuries hanging over the club, Seattle edged the Minnesota Twins 4-3 at T-Mobile Park on a walk-off that settled a game the Mariners had led, then watched slip away, then finally seized back in the ninth. The victory evened the series after Friday’s 5-3 loss.
The finish came after Minnesota tied it in the seventh. Catcher Victor Caratini drove in Brooks Lee with an RBI groundout to make it 3-3, and the Twins had already erased Seattle’s early cushion with solo homers from Luke Keaschall in the fifth and Trevor Larnach in the sixth.
The Mariners had opened fast. With the bases loaded and no outs in the first, Julio Rodriguez knocked in a run with a single. After Cal Raleigh and Josh Naylor struck out, Mitch Garver fought back from an 0-2 count and drew an 11-pitch walk to push the lead to 2-0.
Seattle added to it in the second when Randy Arozarena launched a solo homer to left. He was everywhere in the game, finishing 2-for-4 with a double, a home run, an RBI, three runs scored and a walk.
Then came the ninth, and Arozarena delivered again. He led off with a double, moved to third on Dominic Canzone’s deep flyout, and watched as Rodriguez was intentionally walked.
Raleigh then hit into a groundout, and Twins first baseman Royce Lewis briefly checked second before throwing home. Arozarena beat the play, and that was that.
"In that situation, a guy on first and a guy on third, you kind of try and do everything to avoid the double play," Arozarena said via interpreter Freddy Llanos in a postgame interview. "You look and it was a tough play for the first baseman.
Cal hit that ball pretty hard and Julio did a good job kind of entertaining the first baseman. From that point, I just ran."
Logan Gilbert kept Seattle in front long enough to give the offense a chance. He allowed three earned runs on five hits over seven innings, struck out six and walked one, and still came away with a quality start. Two of the hits were homers, and Gilbert stayed in the game after taking a 107-mph comebacker off his calf in the fourth.
"At some point, there's some urgency," Gilbert said after the game. "You got to get going and find a way to win.
It's a tough game, you can't just force things. Or else, we would have done that four months ago.
But I think there's some urgency right now."
Seattle turned to Gabe Speier in the eighth, then handed the ball to Andres Munoz with one out left and runners on first and second. It was the first time this season the two-time All-Star worked more than three outs. Munoz then issued a wild pitch that moved both runners into scoring position, but he recovered to strike out Lewis on seven pitches.
In the ninth, Munoz struck out Caratini, and Garver fired to shortstop Colt Emerson, who tagged out Keaschall trying to steal second to end the inning.
Munoz got the win and finished with two strikeouts and one hit allowed in 1.1 innings.
The Mariners entered the day in third place in the American League West, three games behind the Houston Astros, and with the season entering its final two months, the pressure is only growing. Before the game, the coaching staff let Munoz know he could be used for more than one inning if needed.
"The good thing is that the communication has been really good," Munoz said after the game. "(They) communicated with me before the game and they let me know about the plan. ... Whatever the team needs to win."
In Other News...
Mariners Surprise Deadline Move Creates A New Lineup Dilemma
The Mariners stayed active at the deadline by adding Taylor Ward to the outfield mix, a move that gives Seattle another established bat as it tries to sharpen the roster for the stretch run. In landing the Baltimore outfielder, the club also managed to avoid dipping into its top-30 prospect list, which makes the price point look cleaner than many deadline deals of this type.
Even so, the move creates a fresh lineup question for Seattle, since Ward is more than a simple depth add and now has to be fit into a group that already has established options. The outgoing package included Alex Hoppe, Harrison Kreiling and Brock Moore, and while none were among the organizations top-30 prospects, the trade still signals that the Mariners were willing to move on from pitching depth to address a more immediate need. [Read more 🡒]
Taylor Ward Just Raised A Bigger Mariners Outfield Question
Taylor Wards arrival gives the Mariners something they have been searching for, at least in theory: a more stable bat for an outfield group that has felt easy to shuffle and hard to trust. Seattle has been weighing whether to add offense or even make a bigger move involving Randy Arozarena, and Ward fits the kind of upgrade that can change the conversation quickly because he brings a steadier presence rather than another part-time fit.
The ripple effect is just as interesting as the acquisition itself. Arozarena still looms over any broader roster decision, but Ward also puts pressure on the role Rob Refsnyder has occupied, since Seattle now has another outfield option that can be used without leaning as heavily on platoon logic. For a club trying to balance immediate offense with future flexibility, the next move may say as much about how it views the rest of the season as the Ward deal did. [Read more 🡒]
Mariners Face A Deadline Decision Fans May Not Like
The Mariners already made one notable move ahead of the deadline, sending Luis Castillo out and bringing Taylor Ward into the mix, but they may not be done reshaping the roster. Their eye is now on a high-end bullpen addition, with Seattle showing interest in Padres reliever Mason Miller as the front office weighs how aggressively to chase help for the stretch run.
The complication is the cost. San Diego is believed to be asking for pitching prospect Kade Anderson, and that puts Seattle in a familiar spot for a contender trying to balance the present against the future. Anderson is viewed as close to the majors and could be in line for his debut this year, so the Mariners have to decide whether immediate relief help is worth parting with a pitcher they may not have to wait much longer to see. [Read more 🡒]