SEATTLE – Two weeks ago, the Boston Red Sox spoiled what could have been a good road trip for the Mariners, sweeping a four-game series at Fenway Park.
On Friday night, the Red Sox spoiled the Mariners’ return home from a much more successful trip, winning 4-3 at T-Mobile Park.
So the Mariners’ momentum was halted, at least for a day. They will have to win the next two days against a hot Boston team – winner of eight of its past nine games – to win their fifth straight series.
Seattle finished 3-7 on that road trip that ended in Boston, but came home this time after going 6-3 on a trip that included series wins at Baltimore, Texas and AL-West leading Houston.
And that momentum had a chance to continue, even on a night when starting pitcher Marco Gonzales issued a career-high six walks in just 4 1/3 innings.
But Boston pulled out of a 2-2 deadlock in the seventh inning on a leadoff homer by Bobby Dalbec, who was born in Seattle and was a Mariners fan growing up. The Red Sox scored another run and that ended up being just enough.
Gonzales struggled mightily in the first inning, but the good news for the Mariners was that after three walks, a double and 44 pitches, he only allowed one run.
The Mariners had their bullpen warming up before Gonzales struck out Christian Vazquez with the bases loaded to end the inning.
Gonzales gave up another run in the third inning, on a J.D. Martinez homer leading off the frame. But that was it when it came to runs against him, despite allowing the six walks.
But it was never easy, and he threw at least three balls to 10 batters. Despite that, he kept Seattle close.
Mariners hitters were mostly flummoxed the first four innings against Boston starter Rich Hill, the 42-year old soft-throwing lefty. Going often with curveballs that barely touched 70 mph, if that, he struck out six in the first three innings – four looking.
But finally, the Mariners got to him in the fifth inning.
Luis Torrens led off with a double and two batters later, Jesse Winker hit a towering homer to right field to tie the score at 2.
That ended Hill’s night, who like Gonzales, threw 4 1/3 innings and allowed two runs.
The Mariners were in great position to score more when the next three hitters reached base, loading the bases. But Eugenio Suarez struck out and pinch-hitter Adam Frazier popped out and you had to wonder if that missed opportunity would come back to haunt Seattle.
It did.
Andres Munoz allowed the homer to Dalbec, and the Red Sox added another run in the seventh inning – on a double play. It was two outs, but one big insurance run.
That extra run ended up being the difference. The Mariners had three straight two-out singles in the eighth inning, the final one being a run-scorer from Cal Raleigh.
The inning ended when Winker flew out to deep left field, allowing the Red Sox to hang on for their seventh straight win over Seattle, dating to last season.
There were some bright spots for the Mariners, perhaps none bigger than the clean inning by reliever Erik Swanson, who was reinstated from the injured list earlier in the day.
Reliever Penn Murfee had another excellent outing, and that is becoming the norm. He came into the game after Gonzales issued his sixth walk and got out of the inning by retiring two dangerous hitters: Xander Bogaerts on a pop-out and Trevor Story on a strikeout.
That lowered Murfee’s ERA to 0.87 in 20 2/3 innings.
But in the end, it was Boston (31-28) that stayed hot, winning for the 17th time in 23 games after starting the season 14-22.
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