The Seattle Mariners had this one in their hands through six innings. Then the game slipped away in a hurry.
Minnesota scored three times across the seventh and eighth, turning a 3-2 deficit into a 5-3 win Friday night and handing Seattle another frustrating finish. The Mariners led after each of the first six innings, but couldn’t protect it once the bullpen took over.
Seattle fell to 53-58 on the season, leaving the club three games back in the American League West and three out of the final wild card spot in the AL.
“Tonight, we weren't able to get consistent traffic,” Mariners manager Dan Wilson said in a postgame interview Friday. “That's essential.
You get the three early and adding on later is going to be huge. It takes a lot of pressure off the bullpen and we weren't able to do that tonight.”
The Mariners jumped out fast in the first. With the bases loaded and two outs, Cal Raleigh lined a two-RBI ground-rule double to put Seattle ahead 2-0. Weston Wilson followed with a strikeout, and the missed chance to add more lingered as the night wore on.
Minnesota answered with power and timely contact. Josh Bell reached on a single off a splitter well below the strike zone, and that set the stage for a two-run homer from Lee on a cutter that Miller left in the middle of the zone.
“(They got) a lucky hit on a two-strike split that's a foot or less off the ground,” Miller said after the game. “Get two quick outs then fall behind Lee, threw him the worst cutter I've thrown all year down the middle. ... After that, I felt like I was kind of settled in and was rolling.”
Miller worked 5.1 innings, allowing two earned runs on three hits, including one homer, while striking out three and walking two. He was lifted in the top of the sixth at 87 pitches after getting an extra day of rest, having been bumped up from his originally scheduled outing against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Thursday in Los Angeles.
Jose A. Ferrer got the final two outs of the sixth, but the game turned once he returned for the seventh.
Royce Lewis opened the inning with a solo home run to tie it 3-3. After a single and a flyout, Eduard Bazardo came on and immediately gave up an RBI double to Luke Keaschall, pushing Minnesota in front 4-3.
Bazardo was back out for the eighth, and Ryan Jeffers greeted him with a leadoff solo homer to make it 5-3, which held as the final.
Seattle’s bats never found a second gear. The Mariners went down in order in the seventh and eighth, then made a little noise in the ninth.
Raleigh and Wilson drew one-out walks to put runners on first and second, and Colt Emerson moved them to second and third with a groundout. But Mitch Garver, hitting for Victor Robles, struck out to end it.
The Mariners finished 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position and left six on base. Minnesota’s pitchers piled up 14 strikeouts.
“Lot of swing-and-miss,” Wilson said. “Looked like (we chased) and getting ourselves in bad counts. Not being able to get the pitch that we want, and that's what makes it difficult.”
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 🡒]