SEATTLE – After blasting a combined 10 home runs and scoring 28 runs in their previous two games, it would have been impossible for the Mariners to replicate that sort of production on Monday night
But when they had failed to score a single run against St. Louis Cardinals middling starter Miles Mikolas over the first five innings, which included squandering leadoff doubles to start the fourth and fifth, it seemed like the Mariners might be destined for disappointment.
It would be one of those unfathomable frustrating losses that leaves fans seething while managers and players scratch their head and say, “That’s baseball.”
But the Mariners’, dare we say, “Mojo” at T-Mobile Park, and their overall talent wouldn’t let them lose on a cool Monday night.
Down by two runs, Seattle loaded the bases with no outs off Mikolas to start the sixth inning, ending his outing, then scored four runs off his replacement, right-hander Gordon Graceffo, to rally for a 4-2 victory over St. Louis.
The Mariners have won three straight games to improve to 76-68. With Astros off Monday, Seattle moved to two games back in the American League West standings. The Mariners remained 1.5 games ahead of the Rangers (75-70).
Bryan Woo gave the Mariners a quality start, pitching six innings while allowing two runs on three hits with no walks and nine strikeouts to improve to 13-7 on the season.
The two runs allowed came in the fourth inning. After retiring the first nine batters he faced, Woo gave up a single to Ivan Herrera then looked stunned after Alec Burleson was able to keep his hands behind a 96-mph fastball on the lower inner quadrant of the plate. The result was a ball off the barrel that carried over the wall in center field for a two-run homer.
Meanwhile, the Mariners managed minimal results against Mikolas. The veteran right-hander, who came into the game with a 7-10 record and 4.89 ERA, also retired the first nine hitters he faced.
Randy Arozarena led off the fourth with a double to notch the Mariners’ first hit. But the Mariners couldn’t score them, even after Julio Rodriguez picked up a one-out infield single.
Jorge Polanco led off the fifth inning with a double into the right-field corner. He made it as far as third as the next three Mariners hitters were retired in order.
For a team that ranks near the bottom of MLB in batting average with runners in scoring position, it wasn’t optimal execution.
But the Mariners broke it open in the sixth. Leo Rivas worked a nine-pitch walk after fouling off three 3-2 pitches. Arozarena followed with a sharp single up the middle. With Cal Raleigh coming to the plate, Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol called on Graceffo to try and solve the problem situation.
He did not.
Graceffo walked Raleigh on four pitches to load the bases. Julio Rodriguez smashed a slider through the left side to score Rivas for the Mariners’ first run.
Josh Naylor ambushed a first-pitch breaking ball from Graceffo, sending a line drive into the gap in right-center. It easily scored Arozarena and Raleigh. Rodriguez ran through a late stop sign from third base coach Kristopher Negron and was out by 10 steps at the plate.
But the ever-aware Naylor picked up his teammate’s baserunning mistake. With the Cardinals paying minimal attention to him at second, Naylor swiped third base with ease with Polanco at the plate. So when Polanco lifted a deep fly ball to right field, Naylor was able to tag up and race home for a big insurance run.
With a two-run lead and his leverage arms rested, Dan Wilson turned it over to his bullpen. Matt Brash worked a 1-2-3 seventh, Eduard Bazardo followed with the same efficient inning. Andres Muñoz allowed a two-out single but came back to strike out Burleson to end the game and notch his 33rd save.