Lazaro Montes delivered the biggest swing of the night in Denver, launching a leadoff homer in the ninth inning to push the Seattle Mariners past the Colorado Rockies 5-4 on Friday.
Montes sent Jordan Romano’s pitch 426 feet into the second deck, giving Seattle its second straight win and turning a one-run game into a late Mariners comeback. Seattle improved to 72-82 and stayed six games behind the Chicago White Sox for the third AL wild card with eight games left.
The Mariners built an early cushion, then had to chase the Rockies after Colorado clawed ahead in the middle innings. J.P.
Crawford opened the game with his 18th career leadoff homer, and Josh Naylor followed with a two-run single as Seattle scored three times in the first. Randy Arozarena added three hits for the Mariners.
Colorado answered with single runs in the first and fourth against Bryan Woo, then grabbed the lead in the fifth when Jake McCarthy ripped an RBI triple and Connor Norby added a run-scoring single. Woo allowed three runs over 5 1/3 innings.
Seattle got even in the seventh on Dominic Canzone’s sacrifice fly before Montes finished the job in the ninth. Carlos Vargas earned the win after getting one out, moving to 2-0.
The Rockies had a chance to respond in the bottom of the ninth when Cole Carrigg led off with a single and stole second, but Andres Munoz picked him off before striking out Mickey Moniak for his 28th save.
Colorado rookie TJ Rumfield singled to stretch his on-base streak to 22 games, the longest by a rookie in franchise history. Gabriel Hughes, the Rockies’ rookie starter, went 4 2/3 innings and remained winless in 13 starts and 14 games. He needed 34 pitches to get through the first inning, then retired 11 straight before a one-out walk in the fifth.
The loss dropped Colorado to 56-98, putting the club on the verge of becoming the first team since the 1965 New York Mets to lose 100 or more games in four straight seasons.
Seattle’s Bryce Miller was scheduled to make his first Coors Field appearance and second career start against the Rockies on Saturday night. Colorado had not announced a starter.
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That expectation alone has become a central part of the debate around the franchises direction, especially with manager Dan Wilson not expected to return and more roster movement on the horizon. The Mariners have reached the point where the conversation is no longer just about one lost season, but about how much of the current structure stays intact and how boldly the front office chooses to reshape it. [Read more 🡒]