9/19/24
(Seattle, WA) Back-to-back losses really hurt the Seattle Mariners in different ways. In game one, the Mariners were just dominated by the New York Yankees who had their deep lineup all clicking in a blowout win. In game two, the M’s wasted countless opportunities and had a brutal mental error that ended up costing the Mariners in extra innings and wasted a strong day of pitching from their staff. Down to just ten games, the Mariners looked to avoid being swept and build some momentum before a six-game Texas road trip. All-Star starting pitcher Logan Gilbert would look to play stopper against the powerful Yankees while the Mariners just looked to get anything going against Clarke Schmidt.
Mariners 3, Yankees 2 (Game 3, September 19th)
Seattle’s Logan Gilbert took the mound and pitched around an error to spin a scoreless 1st. Before he took the mound again, the M’s had a solid lead. Clarke Schmidt allowed two of the first three Mariners hitters to reach as Julio Rodríguez singled and Randy Arozarena drew a walk to put runners on first and second with one out. Luke Raley tried to move everyone up with a bunt, but ended up loading the bases with a bunt single to set the table for a big inning. Finally, the Yankees would commit an error on a Justin Turner fly ball to left. What should have been a sacrifice fly was dropped by Jasson Domínguez. Everyone moved up 90-feet with J-Rod scoring to make it 1-0. Jorge Polanco would then record a sacrifice fly to make it 2-0 with runners on the corners and two outs. J.P. Crawford shot a grounder the other way into left field to tack on one more as Seattle put up three on Schmidt in the 1st to take a 3-0 lead.
New York would try to cut into that deficit immediately in the top of the 2nd. Domínguez recorded his first double of the year to begin the inning before Gilbert retired Anthony Rizzo and Jose Trevino. With two outs, Anthony Volpe came through for the Bronx Bombers with a base hit to right. Domínguez was waved in as Luke Raley came up throwing from right field. A great throw to the plate would get there in time to cut down Domínguez and end the inning without a run being scored. Raley came through big for the second time in the first two innings to keep the score 3-0.
In the top of the 3rd, things would get a lot tighter for the Mariners and Logan Gilbert. Facing the top of the Yankee order, Gilbert retired both Gleyber Torres and Juan Soto for a couple of big outs. That still left Aaron Judge who would stay in the yard but still reached based with a two-out single. Jazz Chisholm Jr. followed Judge and he would deal out the damage. Chisholm sent a cutter at the top of the zone out to right center for his 23rd home run of the year. The blast took all the breathing room away from Seattle as their lead was cut to 3-2.
Both teams had many opportunities to score in the next handful of innings, but the pitching staffs tiptoed in and out of danger with no harm done. Gilbert left the game in the 6th due to a high pitch count. Troy Taylor would have to face the top of the New York order in the 7th but only allowed one baserunner on a walk to Juan Soto. Seattle had everything lined up for the 8th and 9th where they would not have to face either Juan Soto or Aaron Judge in the final two innings.
In the 8th, Trent Thornton needed almost no time at all for a 1-2-3 inning. Needing only eight pitches, Thornton set the table for Andrés Muñoz to close things out in the 9th and help Seattle salvage a game. After leaving a runner stranded in the 8th, Muñoz had the crowd fired up and was feeding off that energy. He blew a 3-2 fastball by Austin Wells for the first out before also striking out Oswaldo Cabrera with a heater. That left Gleyber Torres as the Yankees last chance but if he reached Muñoz would have to face Juan Soto. That would not happen. The All-Star closer went right at Torres, getting him to chase on 0-2 slider for one more strikeout. Muñoz struck out the side in the 9th to end the series on a more positive note with the Mariners hanging on for the 3-2 win.
Notable Performances
Yankees
- Jazz Chisholm Jr.- 1-4, HR, 2 RBI, R, SB
- Jasson Domínguez- 2-4, 2B
- Clarke Schmidt (L, 5-4)- 5 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 7 SO
Mariners
- Luke Raley- 2-3, R
- J.P. Crawford- 1-4, RBI
- Logan Gilbert (W, 8-11)- 5.1 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 9 SO
What’s Next
While it was all together a bad series for the Mariners, they stay alive in both the AL West and Wild Card races. Houston defeated the LA Angels on Thursday while Minnesota lost to Cleveland. Detroit and Kansas City both had Thursday off which means the M’s sit five games back of the Astros in the AL West. They remain much closer in the Wild Card race as the Mariners are four games behind the Royals and two games behind both Minnesota and Detroit who are now tied for the final Wild Card spot. Houston continues their series with the Angels on Tuesday while Detroit visits Baltimore, Minnesota heads to Boston, and Kansas City hosts San Francisco.
It’s all division games for the Mariners for their final nine contests of 2024. First up, a trip to Arlington for three games against the defending World Series champions Texas Rangers. Seattle has dominated Texas this season as the M’s are 8-2 against the Rangers in 2024. With Corey Seager out of the lineup, the Mariner staff will have a lot less pressure in the middle of the Texas order. Texas is averaging less than three runs per game this year against the Mariners. The first trip to Arlington for the M’s was back in April when Seattle took two out of three.
The pitching matchup for the opener on Friday at 5:05pm will be another intriguing one. George Kirby (12-11, 3.62 ERA) will try to build off of his strong start against the Rangers last weekend as he tried to finish his 2024 campaign on a high note. Kirby went seven scoreless innings and allowed just one hit and no walks while striking out three in a game where the Mariners pitching went 27 up and 27 down in a 7-0 win. Jacob deGrom (0-0, 0.00 ERA) will take the mound for the second time this season and once again it is against the Mariners. deGrom made his long awaited return to the mound last Friday when he went just 3 2/3 innings and allowed four hits, no walks, and four strikeouts while not allowing a run. He will once again be on a strict pitch count as he builds towards a full return to the mound in 2025.
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