WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. – In between the third and fourth innings, Cal Raleigh made the trek about 150 yards from the Mariners dugout along the first-base line and out beyond the center-field fence of Sutter Health Park where the M’s clubhouse and batting cages are located.
Even while getting his first day off of the season, Raleigh figured at some point he would be needed. And unlikely almost every other ballpark in the majors, getting ready to pinch-hit meant trudging across the field.
It took awhile, but Raleigh finally got his opportunity in the ninth inning and the Mariners catcher came through after a night when his teammates couldn’t in similar situations.
Raleigh delivered a pinch-hit two-run single in the top of the ninth as the M’s pulled out a 5-3 win over the Athletics on Tuesday night. Seattle loaded the bases with one out after Jorge Polanco walked, Julio Rodríguez lined a single to left and Randy Arozarena was hit by a pitch from Tyler Ferguson, who was pitching for the fourth straight day.
Up strode Raleigh with his torpedo bat in hand. And after getting ahead in the count, Raleigh drilled a liner into right field to score Polanco and Rodríguez, and erase the frustration of two innings earlier when the M’s failed to score with the bases loaded and one out.
Dylan Moore added a sacrifice fly that scored pinch-runner Leo Rivas and the M’s kept alive the hope of extended their streak of series wins to nine headed into Wednesday’s finale of the three-game set.
Carlos Vargas earned his first career save working the ninth. He gave up two hits with two outs but got Seth Brown to fly out to end it.
Seattle saw Emerson Hancock put together arguably his best start of the season throwing six solid innings. Rodríguez homered for the second time on the road trip and Miles Mastrobuoni provided a key two-out RBI double in the second inning.
And the M’s won despite leaving the go-ahead run stranded at third base in both the fifth and seventh innings. The seventh was the most frustrating after the first two batters reached. Polanco questionably bunted and that backfired as it was popped up to the pitcher. Rodríguez was grazed on the hand by a pitch to load the bases, but Arozarena struck out on three pitches and Mitch Garver popped out.
Raleigh could have been an option to pinch-hit for Garver in the seventh. Turned out to be the best move to hold him until the ninth.
The A’s took a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the eighth when Miguel Andujar singled off Collin Snider to score Brent Rooker and snap a 2-2 tie. Rooker opened the eighth with a hustle double to left field off Gabe Speier, beating Mastrobuoni’s throw to second base. Tyler Soderstrom followed with a bloop single and Andujar delivered the go-ahead hit.
Hancock’s performance was worthy of a victory as the right-hander continued to impress since returning to the big league club. Hancock needed just 71 pitches to get through six innings. He allowed four hits, two runs and struck out two.
The one issue for Hancock was both the walks allowed came around to score. Brent Rooker walked on a 3-2 pitch, stole second and scored on Miguel Andujar’s single in the first inning. In the third, it was Rooker delivering a two-out hit, scoring Kurtz after he started the inning by walking on a 3-2 pitch.
Otherwise, there is a lot for the Mariners to be pleased with about Hancock’s performance and continued progression putting in the past his rough first start back on March 31 against Detroit.
The M’s did their part in trying to jump on A’s starter Jeffrey Springs. Entering Tuesday’s start, no pitcher in baseball had allowed more first inning runs than Springs. Of the 25 runs he’d allowed in his first seven starts, 22 came in the first two innings. If the Mariners were going to do any damage against the lefty, it needed to be early.
They did. To an extent.
Rodríguez became a historical footnote as the first Mariners player to homer in West Sacramento driving the first pitch from Springs 407-feet to right-center field, his second homer of the road trip.
The M’s added another run in the second inning putting together a two-out rally with the bottom of the batting order coming through again. Ben Williamson hooked a single into left field and Mastrobuoni powered a deep fly ball to left-center field that fell at the base of the fence for a double and scored Williamson. It was the first extra base hit allowed this season by Springs to a left-handed batter.