SEATTLE – Their total hours of sleep were certainly diminished from an earned and deserved celebration that lasted into the night and early morning hours. The external motivating factor of earning a bye through the wild card had already been secured roughly an hour before Emerson Hancock fired the opening pitch of Thursday night’s game against the Rockies.
But given how this team has approached every game each season, and the mindset of their manager when it comes to “battling” and “fighting” for a win every night, there was no letdown due to an emotional or literal hangover from clinching the organization’s first American League West title 24 hours earlier. It also helped they were playing a team simply overmatched in talent, experience and execution.
With another large crowd – officially announced at 40,656 – packed into T-Mobile Park to watch one of the hottest teams in baseball, the Mariners rolled to a relatively easy 6-2 victory over the Rockies.
The Mariners groggily came into the day knowing that either a Detroit victory or their own win over Seattle would give the one of the top two seeds in the American League.
With no on-field batting practice or infield work, most of the Mariners arrived a little later than usual. They watched in the clubhouse as the Tigers held on for a 4-2 victory over the Guardians, salvaging one win in the three-game series and avoiding a sweep at Progressive Field.
With Detroit and Cleveland now holding 86-73 records in the back-and-forth battle for the American League Central with three games left in their season, there was no way either could move past the Mariners. Seattle held the tiebreaker over the Tigers and Guardians after winning each of the overall series.
It’s why Wilson opted to change his starting lineup after the game was finished in Cleveland, moving Cal Raleigh to designated hitter and having Mitch Garver catch.
With a top-two seed clinched, the Mariners will have a bye through the wild-card round of the playoffs, meaning they will have five days off before opening the American League Division Series on Oct. 4 in Seattle.
As the No. 2 seed, the Mariners would play the winner of the wild-card series between the AL Central winner and the third wild-card. Those two spots will get some combination of the Tigers, Guardians and Astros.
Cleveland hosts the Texas Rangers for the weekend series. The Tigers travel to Boston for a difficult three-game series. The Red Sox currently hold the second wild-card spot. After avoiding being swept in a three-game series with the A’s on Thursday afternoon, the Astros (85-74) sit one game back of Cleveland and Detroit, but doesn’t have the tiebreaker over either team. The Astros will open a three-game series against the Angels on Friday.
Seattle has an outside chance at earning the No. 1 seed. The Blue Jays and Yankees, who are battling out for the AL East title have identical 91-68 records. Both teams hold the tiebreaker over the Mariners. Seattle would need both teams to lose two of three games this weekend, which seems unlikely.
Toronto hosts the Rays, while the Yankees host the Orioles.
Some might argue that the path to the American League Championship Series might be easier than as the top seed.
With Hancock returning to the rotation for a fill-in start in place of Bryan Woo and Dan Wilson using every position player on the roster, they extended their winning streak to seven games. They won their last 11 games at home and have won 17 of their last 18 games on the season.
Hancock, who was in the Mariners opening day rotation, was converted to a reliever in late August and has been solid coming out of the bullpen. But with Woo dealing with mild inflammation in his right pectoral, Hancock returned to the role he had only ever known as a pitcher. He was outstanding, tossing four scoreless innings and allowing two hits with no walks and seven strikeouts.
The Mariners provided plenty of run support led by Eugenio Suarez. The veteran third baseman clubbed his 49th homer of the season – a two-run blast in the second inning off Rockies starter Bradley Blalock – that gave Seattle a 2-0 lead.
Seattle continued to add on. Mired in a 3-for-43 slump, Randy Arozarena added an RBI single and Suarez, who had three hits on the day, had another RBI single.
Woo takes step in recovery
With team trainers watching closely, Bryan Woo went through a workout out on the right-field grass Thursday afternoon, playing a light game of catch with Trent Blank, one of the Mariners’ pitching coaches.
Those were Woo’s first throws since the staff ace exited his last start six days earlier in Houston with what was later diagnosed as right pectoral inflammation.
Woo did some plyometric exercises Wednesday, and then threw a baseball off flat ground Thursday, a deliberate buildup as he continues his recovery.
“Felt pretty good,” Woo said in a brief interview after his workout. “Still taking it day by day.”
Woo’s next start will come in the playoffs.
He doesn’t know when, exactly, that will come during the American League Division Series – the Mariners have secured a first-round bye and will open the playoffs by hosting the first two games on Saturday, Oct. 4, and Sunday, Oct. 5 – but he said he’s staying on a normal five-day throwing routine. That means, after Thursday’s workout, he won’t throw at all on Friday, but then will gradually build up arm strength through this weekend.
Emerson Hancock took Woo’s turn in the rotation Thursday, throwing four scoreless innings with seven strikeouts against the Rockies.