The Seattle Mariners finally stopped the bleeding Thursday afternoon, squeezing out a 1-0 win over the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium to end a six-game losing streak.
It was the kind of game Seattle had to win with pitching and defense, because the offense never really took over. The Mariners managed only five hits, but Logan Gilbert and three relievers made the slim margin stand up.
Gilbert gave Seattle exactly the kind of start it needed. With the bullpen situation forcing the Mariners to lean heavily on length from the rotation, he delivered six strong innings and needed 95 pitches to do it.
He allowed four hits, one walk and seven strikeouts, and moved to 9-7. He also got help from the dugout and behind the plate on a couple of big replay decisions, including a challenge that wiped out a safe call at second base in the third inning and two more won by catcher Jhonny Pereda in the sixth.
Pereda ended up being a major part of the afternoon in more ways than one. He had three critical challenge wins behind the plate and also added a single to center field.
Weston Wilson gave the Mariners one of their biggest offensive jolts. Forced into a lot of action against left-handed pitching, he homered in the second inning off Max Fried, then worked a 12-pitch walk and stole a base.
Randy Arozarena kept doing damage near the top of the lineup, too. After homering in each of the first two games of the series, he went 1-for-3 with a single and a walk.
He’s now hitting .276 with an .822 OPS.
Seattle’s younger players were still in the mix despite the rough Wednesday night. Cole Young, who left that 10-5 loss with dizziness, did not start but came off the bench in the seventh and grounded out in a pinch-hit spot with a runner at second and two outs. Colt Emerson, who was expected to get a day off after going 0-for-4 with four strikeouts on Wednesday, entered on defense in the bottom of the seventh.
The seventh inning turned into another tense chapter for the Mariners’ bullpen. Dan Wilson called on Eduard Bazardo to protect the 1-0 lead, and after two quick outs the inning got messy.
Jose Caballero walked, was caught stealing, then was awarded second when Emerson dropped the ball. Bazardo then walked Ryan McMahon, Caballero stole third, and Amed Rosario came up as a pinch-hitter.
Bazardo struck him out to leave the runners stranded, with Pereda winning another challenge in the process.
Jose Ferrer handled the eighth after that and kept things clean, getting Trent Grisham to fly out to center, Ben Rice to line out to left and Heliot Ramos to ground out to shortstop.
Andrés Muñoz closed it out in the ninth. He got Luis Garcia on a groundout to second, George Lombard Jr. on a strikeout and Jazz Chisholm on a strikeout to finish the save.
The Mariners now head to Houston for a three-game series against the Astros. At 57-65 and five games back of Houston, Seattle has little room left if it wants any real shot in the American League West.
In Other News...
Mariners Rookie Is Feeling The Pressure As Seattle Weighs Its Next Move
Colt Emersons recent stretch has put the Mariners in a familiar spot for a young hitter: trying to balance patience with urgency. The rookie infielder sat Thursday against the Yankees after a rough run at the plate, and his recent struggles with strikeouts and a more aggressive approach have become part of the conversation around his development. Before the game, Emerson and manager Dan Wilson both talked through the challenges, with Seattle still needing to manage the lineup around injuries while keeping an eye on the bigger picture.
For the Mariners, the issue is less about one bad night than about how quickly a promising bat can adjust when the league starts making him work for every at-bat. Wilson has emphasized that struggling hitters can get caught trying to force results, and Emersons next step will likely come from finding a better balance rather than simply muscling through the slump. Seattle remains optimistic about what he can become, but the immediate question is how much playing time he gets while the team decides what kind of reset he needs. [Read more 🡒]
Luis Castillos Quick Turnaround Raises An Uncomfortable Mariners Question
Luis Castillos first few weeks in Chicago have already produced a reminder of why he was such a valuable arm for the Mariners. After being dealt to the White Sox, the veteran right-hander turned in a sharp outing against the Reds and looked much more like the version of himself that once anchored Seattles rotation. The early results have drawn attention not just because of the trade itself, but because of how quickly his new club seems to have found a formula that fits him.
Chicagos staff has encouraged Castillo to lean more heavily on his changeup, a pitch that had been used less often during his time in Seattle as the Mariners leaned into his fastball. That difference is the uncomfortable part for the Mariners, because it raises the obvious question of whether a small adjustment in approach is enough to help Castillo regain the kind of form Seattle hoped to keep. [Read more 🡒]
Taylor Ward Is Already Raising Pressure On The Mariners Lineup
Taylor Ward arrived in Seattle with the kind of deadline reputation that usually buys a hitter a little breathing room, but the early returns have been rough. Through his first eight games, the outfielder has hit .172 and has not yet delivered the kind of production the Mariners were hoping for after bringing him in from Baltimore, leaving him in the middle of an offense still trying to settle in for the stretch run.
The cost to land Ward was real, too, with Seattle parting with Alex Hoppe, Brock Moore and Harrison Kreiling to get the deal done. Around a roster that is always watching the margins closely, that makes the slow start sting a little more, especially with former Mariners names still moving elsewhere too, from Paul Sewald landing with Toronto to Andrew Knizner catching on with San Francisco. [Read more 🡒]