" 𝔹𝕖𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕦𝕟𝕚𝕢𝕦𝕖 𝕚𝕤 𝕓𝕖𝕥𝕥𝕖𝕣 𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕟 𝕓𝕖𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕡𝕖𝕣𝕗𝕖𝕔𝕥 "

DENVER -- “A long day of baseball.”

That’s how Mariners manager Scott Servais described a strange 12 hours at the ballpark on Sunday. It was long, to be sure. But it was also bizarre, even for Coors Field, where bizarre is the norm.

By the time they came off the field for the final time after 19 innings of baseball, the Mariners had split a split doubleheader with the Rockies. The first game in the twin bill was unusual in a sense that you wouldn’t normally guess in the hitter’s

haven of Coors Field: For only the third time in the ballpark’s 30-season history -- 2,297 games entering Sunday -- the contest was scoreless into extra innings.

And in the nightcap, “normalcy” returned to the venue, with 12 combined runs being scored.

Emerson Hancock fans four Rockies in six innings

The Mariners lost Game 1, 2-1, in 10 innings. They won Game 2, 10-2. As they prepared to move on to Texas for a series with the Rangers beginning on Tuesday, they had taken two of three in Denver after a snow-out, a Luis Castillo gem, a game in

which they broke a scoreless tie in the 10th only to lose in the bottom of the frame and a convincing win in the series finale.

Beyond “weird,” the themes over the weekend for Seattle were two-fold: the continuation of tremendous starting pitching and the hot bat of Cal Raleigh.

The catcher affectionately known as “Big Dumper” smashed his fifth homer of the season, a two-run shot in the sixth inning over the center-field wall, and drove in three runs to lead Seattle’s lineup in the nightcap. Over his past four games, he’s 7-

for-15 with three homers.

 

 

 

 

Raleigh said that the notion that “hitting is contagious” is more than a cliché. And now that the Mariners are hitting -- they’ve scored 35 runs across their past six games -- the nature of the contagion is positive.

“It’s real both ways,” he said. “When guys aren’t hitting well, it seems to drag down the lineup, and then when guys are hitting well, it seems to track up and down the lineup. We just got off to one of those bad starts. We don’t want to do that, but

that’s how it went. We were able to right the ship and we’ve just gotta keep it going.”

While he went 0-for-5 in Game 1, Raleigh did something no Mariners catcher had done in nearly three decades in the series opener on Saturday by tallying four hits -- including a solo homer -- and reaching base five times. The last Seattle backstop

to accomplish that was Dan Wilson against the Twins on June 11, 1996.

Mariners score six runs in the 2nd inning

It all added up to a batting average that was 50 points higher than when he got to the Mile High City, jumping from .208 to .258 in the span of 24 hours. And Raleigh wasn’t done making history; his sixth-inning homer in Game 2 on Sunday was the

7,500th in franchise history.

The offensive outburst from Raleigh and the Mariners -- Game 1 of Sunday’s doubleheader notwithstanding -- backed up more of the same from Seattle’s pitching staff, particularly the starting rotation. With five scoreless frames by George Kirby in

the first game Sunday, followed by six strong innings in which Emerson Hancock yielded only two runs (one earned), Seattle starters own a 1.44 ERA over their last 10 games (10 earned runs in 62 2/3 innings). Opponents hit .175 against them in

that span. 

SEATTLE -- It was only the second inning, but Bryce Miller knew he needed to bear down.

He’d just surrendered a solo homer to Elly De La Cruz, then he walked Tyler Stephenson in a full count in the next plate appearance. The stakes of Wednesday’s game against the Reds at T-Mobile Park were early, but in a series where hits were hard

to come by, that sequence proved pivotal.

Josh Rojas Pinch Hit Homer to Extend the Lead!

Josh Rojas Pinch Hit Homer to Extend the Lead!

Miller labored into a 2-2 count against Nick Martini, who proved to be the afternoon’s peskiest batter beyond De La Cruz, before blowing a 93.9 mph heater by him to end the inning and halt the damage. From there, Seattle’s second-year starter was

off and running to another dominant outing, lifting the Mariners to a 5-1 victory that secured a series sweep, one day after they secured their first series win of 2024.

“There are days where you feel like everything's working, [but] today was one of the ones where it didn't feel like it was,” Miller said. “But if it was last year, and whenever I felt like this, then I felt like I was just in a hole -- whereas like now, it feels

like if something's not working, I can go to something else.”

Miller didn’t allow a baserunner to reach before De La Cruz took him deep, and he didn’t allow another after walking Stephenson. Sandwiched around that sequence, he was statistically perfect over six innings.

Cal Raleigh Solo Blast to Tie the Game (3)

And thanks to three perfect innings from the bullpen and solo homers from Cal Raleigh, Mitch Garver and pinch-hitting Josh Rojas, Miller’s quality start -- Seattle’s seventh straight -- proved to be plenty enough to also secure a winning homestand,

even including a tough weekend against the Cubs.

“This is how we put the team together,” Mariners manager Scott Servais said. “I think, understanding that we haven't had a whole lot of home runs early in the season, we got a few today, which makes a big difference. There's no question about

that. But we are driven by our pitching staff and playing really good defense.”

With an army of All-Star-caliber arms, Miller has been the Mariners’ best through the first three weeks of the season.

After the Reds went 1-for-19 against him, he’s held the 92 hitters he’s faced this year to a .499 OPS and 0.82 WHIP and has a 1.85 ERA in 24 1/3 innings with 24 strikeouts to seven walks.

Moreover, after a brutal second turn through the rotation, Seattle’s starters have turned a corner. The Mariners have won five of their past seven games, over which the rotation has an MLB-best 1.81 ERA, while each arm has pitched at least six

innings. In their nine outings prior, Mariners starters had an 8.06 ERA and the team went 2-7.

Overall, the Mariners held a Reds team which ranked fifth in MLB in runs scored entering this series to a combined five in the three-gamer.

Miller didn’t necessarily have his most overpowering stuff -- he generated just six whiffs against 38 swings -- but he still racked up seven strikeouts, largely generated by masterfully working both corners of the plate. He regularly dotted his four-

seam fastball on the outer half to righties and worked it at the bottom of the zone to lefties, which led to 21 called strikes, including five backwards K’s. He also used his sweeper six times in 0-0 counts, successfully getting ahead four times via called strikes.

Scott Servais on Mariners' 5-1 victory

Yet for how effective Miller’s fastball was, he felt he was “off” early. Raleigh noticed and tailored their game plan.

“I just told him to get a little more out front,” Raleigh said. “Get that last 10 percent, trying to finish the pitch a little more so he could get that extra life, extra movement and get to the spot that he wanted.”

Mitch Garver Crushes his First Mariners Homer to take the Lead!!! (1)

Raleigh was among the offense’s bright spots, but it was its big free-agent acquisition, Garver, who was the headliner. Garver fell to 7-for-49 on the season after his first two at-bats before ambushing a middle-up fastball from Reds starter Andrew

Abbott that he pummeled with ease into Edgar’s Cantina for his first homer.

“I think we're getting back to kind of the player I have been, pretty much just dominating fastballs,” Garver said. “That's kind of my game plan, and being able to lay off the spin.”

Collectively, Seattle’s offense still has room for improvement, but its pitching carried them this week.

Bryce Miller on his Sweeper

SEATTLE -- Logan Gilbert seethed at himself when pacing off the mound after his night ended with two outs in the seventh inning. He’d just walked his first batter and ended the Mariners’ franchise-record streak of 35 innings without a free pass, and

given that runs were hard to come by on Tuesday night at T-Mobile Park, all baserunners loomed large.

Meanwhile, Julio Rodríguez stood confidently in center field, having just made a remarkable catch into the left-field gap, covering 93 feet in 4.9 seconds -- almost overrunning it. He knew more action could be coming, given that former Mariner Jake

Fraley had wheels on first base and all-world speedster Elly De La Cruz was stepping to the plate.

W of a night. #TridentsUp

 

 

 

Another Walter gem.

 

Indeed, De La Cruz walked and represented the tying run after Andrés Muñoz relieved Gilbert. But in a power-on-power matchup pitting defense against speed, Rodríguez returned for his second act when cutting down the Reds’ shortstop with an

89.5 mph throw as he was attempting to go first-to-third on a sharp single.

The throw reached third baseman Josh Rojas just before Fraley crossed the plate, saving a run, and helping the Mariners hold on to a 3-1 victory, which secured their first series win of 2024. But it took every last out to do so, after Ryne Stanek

loaded the bases to put the go-ahead run on first before Tayler Saucedo closed the door by inducing a flyout to -- guess who -- Rodríguez for the 27th out.

“Thank God for Julio,” Gilbert said.

Though Rodríguez is off to a slow start at the plate, he’s still been among the most valuable defensive center fielders, and Tuesday was the most illustrative example why.

“I know that they have the stat, defensive runs saved," Mariners manager Scott Servais said. "I don’t know how many runs he saved tonight. It seemed like four or five of them."

On the catch near the wall, Rodríguez raced with a sprint speed of 29.3 feet per second (27 is league average and 30 is elite) and yanked in the 102.1 mph liner from Spencer Steer straight out of the air. On the liner in front of him, he made the

throw to nab De La Cruz off balance, while Cincinnati’s 6-foot-5 shortstop surged his sprint speed up to 29.9 ft/sec.

“On the throw, I knew Elly is fast,” Rodríguez said. “I knew that he’s an aggressive runner. So as soon as I caught the ball, I'm just looking up to third because it was a little bit to the side and I knew that he might try something. So, I would rather

be prepared for that than being caught asleep.

“On the other one, I just had to run out there and go and get it. I had to jump to slow myself down a little bit, so that’s why I caught it a little bit behind my back.”

Rodríguez also recorded just his second multi-hit game of the year, via a pair of singles, to go with two strikeouts, an encapsulation of slow progress with room for improvement.

“We're being really committed to our plan,” Rodríguez said, “and that's something that we want to continue to keep working on and keep stressing on.”

Mitch Haniger's RBI single

Hits were hard to come by, given the 51-degree temperature at first pitch and that both Gilbert and Cincinnati’s Hunter Greene possessed power fastballs and swing-and-miss secondaries.

But Gilbert outlasted Greene after Seattle’s bats grinded the former No. 2 overall Draft pick to 98 pitches through the fourth inning -- marking the first time this season that they chased a starter that early in consecutive games.

An RBI double from Jonatan Clase, who made his debut on Monday, in the fourth inning, a bases-loaded walk from Mitch Garver in the fifth and an RBI single from Mitch Haniger in the sixth gave Gilbert plenty of cushion given the way he’s pitching --

now having allowed one earned run or fewer in three of his four starts. Gilbert advanced to 30-0 for his career when being the pitcher of record and receiving at least three runs of support.

Jonatan Clase doubles to put Mariners ahead

Jonatan Clase RBI double gives the Mariners the lead!

He’s also allowed just 21 baserunners in 27 innings this year, with just four walks to 100 batters he’s faced. Mariners pitching coach Pete Woodworth made sure to inform Gilbert good-naturedly, but only after Rodríguez saved the day.

“It just speaks to what we do here,” Gilbert said. “And also I think the way that people bought in -- because anybody can say 'dominate the zone, attack, win 0-0 [counts],' stuff like that. But there's a lot of buy-in here.”

SEATTLE -- Jorge Polanco and Mitch Haniger ambushed Frankie Montas early, George Kirby twirled the Mariners’ fifth straight quality start and, for good measure, Jonatan Clase chipped in his first career hit and RBI on Monday night, a combination

that lifted the Mariners to a much-needed, 9-3 win over the Reds on Jackie Robinson Day at T-Mobile Park.

It wasn’t just the victory, but the way it manifested that helped the club turn the page from a sour finish to the weekend -- one that ended when they spoiled run-scoring opportunities late and Julio Rodríguez was picked off to end Sunday’s game.

“Fun game,” Mariners manager Scott Servais said. “That’s what it’s supposed to be like. It’s taken us a little while to get there, but we did it tonight.”

An offense that had scored a combined two first-inning runs entering play jumped all over Montas for three runs in the opening frame. Seattle forced Montas, whom they know well from his time in Oakland, to grind through a 45-pitch inning, the

most he’s thrown in a single frame, before all was said and done.

Can't beat nights like tonight at the ballpark. #TridentsUp

 

Montas walked J.P. Crawford and Rodríguez, who laid off three straight balls after falling behind 0-2. That set up Polanco, who crushed a 376-foot homer that left his bat at a scorching 109.9 mph for a three-run blast to give Kirby an early cushion.

In the third, Polanco walked again -- among the career-high-tying five for Montas -- which set the stage for Haniger, who rocketed a 398-foot blast through the marine layer and into the T-Mobile ‘Pen beyond the deepest part of left-center field

That ended Montas’ night, after 66 pitches and just two-plus innings, at a venue where he’d thrived. Entering Monday, Montas had a career 2.05 ERA in five outings in Seattle, holding the Mariners to a .579 OPS in those games.

“I think we just have to be really committed to the heart of the plate and be aggressive and trust our eyes and have a plan up there and stick to it,” said Haniger, who also had an RBI double in the seventh. “Know what he's trying to do to you and

know where you need to look to combat that. Unfortunately, the first two weeks of the season, it seems like a lot of us have been struggling. It's not just like one or two guys that are struggling.”

The Mariners had only homered twice in a home game once this year (Opening Day against Boston) and had just five homers at home entering play, the most recent being Polanco on Sunday. Seattle’s new second baseman had been off to a slow

start, entering play with a .622 OPS and 33.3% strikeout rate, way above his 18.4% career rate.

“It's been really important,” Polanco said of cutting whiffs. “I’m just trying to see better pitches, trying to get better pitches, trying to swing at better pitches -- that’s kind of been my approach right now.”

Polanco’s transition to his new environment ties into the greater theme that Mariners hitters can struggle during the early weeks of any given season. It's part of recognizing that hitting in Seattle -- particularly for power -- is challenging at this time

of year.

It’s been part of the club’s internal messaging since Spring Training, but it hadn’t correlated into their first 10 games in Seattle as they had an MLB-worst .272 slugging percentage at home coming into the week. However, the commentary in the

pregame meeting was more pointed on Monday.

“I'm happy with how guys have come to work every day and worked hard,” Haniger said. “You don't see guys hanging their heads and sulking. It's been like, 'Alright, we're not doing well. Let's just work hard and improve and keep fighting every

night.'”

Elly De La Cruz tracks down the ball to make an incredible sliding grab

The offensive outbreak offered a reminder to what the Mariners’ formula for success could look like given Kirby’s effective run suppression. After consecutive tough outings, Kirby cleared Seattle’s fifth straight quality start, surrendering just two runs

on five hits, including a solo homer to Jeimer Candelario. The Mariners are 6-2 when receiving a quality start.

Moreover, he effectively expanded in deeper counts, leading to either weak contact or his six strikeouts. He even added a new grip to his slider after toying with it in a bullpen session this week.

“I thought I definitely did a better job of that,” Kirby said of expanding. “I thought there were still a couple where I should’ve gone more in or down or whatever, but it’s just a good step in the right direction, so I’m happy about that.”

SEATTLE -- Their best player’s struggles became pronounced enough that Mariners manager Scott Servais on Sunday tried to give Julio Rodríguez the day off to “unplug.” Their ace looked better in the series finale against the Cubs, but Luis Castillo

has now lost six straight starts dating back to the final week of last season. And their most productive hitter of late is headed to the injured list, after Dominic Canzone sprained his left AC joint when crashing into the wall.

Making matters sting even more in the Mariners’ 3-2 loss to Chicago was that Rodríguez was picked off first base to end the game. He entered as a pinch-runner and was initially ruled safe, but a Cubs challenge overturned the play, leaving Rodríguez

-- who preferred not to speak postgame -- quite literally up in arms.

“Everybody is going to get fired up, but that's not the play that cost us the game,” Mariners manager Scott Servais said.

Mariners OF Prospect Jonatan Clase Gets the Call!

The Mariners had rallies brewing in the seventh and eighth, with two on and no outs in each, but both ended with double plays, via Luke Raley and Ty France, respectively. The eighth was particularly brutal, given that Cubs reliever Héctor Neris -- on

the mound here for the first time since a benches-clearing incident with the Astros last September -- walked the bases loaded.

Seattle’s only run production came via Jorge Polanco’s 399-foot, two-run homer in the sixth, the club’s first in its past five home games, which made it a one-run game. It was also the Mariners’ only extra-base hit, and it was part of an 0-for-6 day

with runners in scoring position.

Adbert Alzolay picks off J-Rod after review

“They gave us an opportunity to take the game and the series -- and we just didn't go grab it,” Servais said.

The lack of volume to Seattle’s 6-10 record shows that the “it’s early” adage rings true. But after missing the postseason by one game, the urgency for a fast start that they spoke of in Spring Training hasn’t correlated to the regular season for the

Mariners, who are still seeking their first series win.

Castillo cleared his first quality start of 2024 and flashed some of his best stuff when K’ing the side in the third. But he also succumbed to critical hits with two strikes, including an 0-2 double to Dansby Swanson that was followed by a 2-2 homer to

Michael Busch. And that didn’t include the error that “La Piedra” was charged in the first, when sailing an awkward throw past France on a swinging bunt from Cody Bellinger that led to an unearned run.

“I think what I can take out of this is that I’m getting better,” Castillo said through interpreter Freddy Llanos.

Quality starts had been the Mariners’ barometer for success, given that they were 5-0 in such games after Friday and had ranked third MLB with 74 quality starts last season, going 55-19 in those games.

Luis Castillo's Nine Strikeouts

Luis Castillo induced 23 swings-and-misses in today's game, tied for the most in the Majors this season, joining Nathan Eovaldi-TEX (4/3 vs. TB) and Max Meyer-MIA (4/13 vs. ATL).

103rd pitch of the day:

But they then lost each of the next two, beginning with Emerson Hancock on Saturday and continuing with Castillo on Sunday, because while their blueprint is rooted in pitching, it also hinges on the offense carrying its weight.

The Mariners are averaging 3.1 runs per game (tied for third-fewest in MLB) and have scored at least four runs -- the threshold needed for victory on Sunday -- only six times. Moreover, they fell to 0-10 when trailing after the sixth inning, and their

only comeback win was Rodríguez’s 10th-inning walk-off in the season’s third game. They’re also 0-9 when their opponent scores first.

Dominic Canzone Leaves after Collision at the Wall

Canzone’s status -- which will necessitate an IL stint -- could be concerning. He has a team-leading three homers and an .817 OPS, and he suffered the injury when making a remarkable catch, but one in which he didn’t turn to see the wall and

slammed into the barrier.

Rodríguez, meanwhile, was sidelined while healthy, but his bright spots in 2024 have been few and far between. He’s hitting .186 with a .441 OPS, and his chase rate, whiff rate, K rate and walk rate all rank in the 21st percentile or lower, per

Statcast, tying back to the issues he had during lulls in ‘23.

It’s why Servais preferred not to use him at all on Sunday -- but the stakes proved vital to do so.

“We had opportunities certainly there in the seventh and the eighth,” Servais said. “Julio is our fastest runner. We're certainly going to put him in the game. ... But for me, that's not the play that cost us the game."

Jen Mueller and JP Crawford

 

 

 

SEATTLE -- Emerson Hancock hunched on his knees at what appeared to be one of the most critical sequences of his outing on Saturday night, a gesture of self-frustration, but one that he’d soon overcome. He’d just bobbled a would-be inning-

ending groundout in the sixth that instead put Cody Bellinger on first base and set up cleanup man Christopher Morel in a one-run game.

Yet Hancock, who felt that pressure moments were his pitfalls in an eight-run outing last Sunday, zeroed in and induced a soft flyout to escape the jam, which itself was a microcosm of an outing that featured many quick outs. It’s why he was able to

clear the sixth for the first time in his six career starts.

Smoke drifts into T-Mobile Park after car fire on nearby freeway

 

 

Cubs vs Mariners Car Fire

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hancock certainly did his part, but a lack of run support and two solo homers surrendered by Seattle’s bullpen prevented the Mariners from achieving their first three-game winning streak of 2024 and instead led to a 4-1 loss to the Cubs at T-Mobile Park.

“As a starting pitcher, you kind of sometimes know when you're getting to the end,” Hancock said. “You lock it in. You execute the best that you can and try to get the guys in the dugout as quick as possible.”

Saturday marked Seattle’s first defeat in its six quality starts this season, as the rotation appears to have turned a corner after consecutive strong outings by Logan Gilbert (one run in 7 2/3 innings on Wednesday) and Bryce Miller (6 1/3 shutout

innings on Friday). The Mariners’ rotation had had an 8.06 ERA over its previous nine games.

Hancock surrendered just two runs -- via a sacrifice fly from Nico Hoerner in the second and a 383-foot homer on a hanging slider to Seiya Suzuki in the third -- while striking out four and walking zero.

“I think the biggest thing is keep attacking,” Hancock said. “Keep attacking the strike zone and try to make good quality pitches and maybe use the changeup a little bit more. I had a good feel for it, and so we just kind of kept rolling with it. Make

sure that we're using the two fastballs the way that we want to, and just kind of keep going off of that.”

It wasn’t always pretty, as 11 of the 18 balls in play against Hancock were hard-hit (with an exit velocity of 95 mph or higher), but thanks to cool temperatures, most of the would-be damage found Seattle’s gloves.

 

 

Luis Urías' RBI double

The same could be said for the Mariners’ offense, which had seven hard-hit balls in play go for outs, including three with runners in scoring position. Overall, they went 1-for-9 with RISP and stranded nine baserunners.

“When you get guys out there in games like this, and we play a lot of low-scoring close games, you do need to come through,” manager Scott Servais said.

Their clearest opportunity to do damage was with one out in the sixth, when Cubs third baseman Morel made remarkable plays in consecutive at-bats that robbed a run apiece -- a diving groundout on a 105 mph chopper from Mitch Garver and a

leaping grab against a liner from Dylan Moore -- and halted the rally. That frame began with walks to Mitch Haniger and Jorge Polanco and ended empty-handed.

Christopher Morel's smooth diving plan

In nine home games this year, the Mariners have a .271 slugging percentage and just four homers, including none in their past four games in Seattle.

“The home run is a beautiful thing,” Servais said. “It's an instant point. We do have capability. We're not swinging the bat that well right now, although, like I said, the quality of the at-bats are getting better.”

Most glaring in that lack of power has been Julio Rodríguez, who’s yet to leave the yard in 2024. He went 0-for-4 for the second time in five games, and other than a few clutch moments, including a bases-loaded knock on Friday, he’s looked far from

his superstar self.

“I was hoping that'd kind of get him going tonight, and he didn't,” Servais said. “He struggled. ... We're not seeing him go like he can go. And when he does get going, we're a different ballclub. It's just early and it hasn't happened yet.”

Moreover, beyond Rodríguez, the top of the Mariners’ order has lacked results. Their Nos. 1-4 hitters -- even including Ty France, who’s been their most consistent hitter and was recently moved to No. 3 -- are slashing a combined .190/.261/.255,

and their .516 OPS is MLB’s lowest.

Scott Servais doesn’t call it a winning streak until it’s three games in a row, but after Friday followed Thursday's thrilling victory in extras in Toronto, the team can go for its first such stretch on Saturday.

“Your momentum is only as good as your next day's starting pitcher,” the Mariners’ manager said. “And we had the right guy on the mound tonight.”

Aided by a bases-loaded breakthrough from Julio Rodríguez, who ripped a two-run single in the fourth and was followed by an RBI knock from Ty France, and Luis Urías, who was hit by a pitch in the second with two outs and the sacks packed, Miller

settled in comfortably. He struck out only four and instead specialized in soft contact, with only six hard-hit balls among the 18 in play against him. Among those, only two landed for hits.

Beyond the unearned run, which manifested on an error by Urías, if there were stripes to Miller’s brilliant outing, the two-out hits he surrendered in the second, third and fourth innings might qualify, as would the three walks, including the four-pitch

free pass that ended his night.

But that’d be splitting hairs, especially considering the recent struggles of the rest of his rotation mates. Miller now has a 1.96 ERA and 0.98 WHIP in 18 1/3 innings, while holding hitters to a .553 OPS. And performances like Friday’s underscore the

potential of Seattle’s starters once they’re all clicking, as they’re now 5-0 when throwing a quality start.

“I think every lineup is different and every game is different,” Miller said. “And I’m just going through lineups, attacking with my Plan A and adjusting to the hitters ... whereas last year, if I was getting hit early, I didn’t really know where to go.Scott

Julio Rodriguez

Miller hasn’t given up an earned run since a three-run homer in the fourth inning of his 2024 debut on March 31 vs. Boston. He’s not quite on the pace he started with in 2023, when he gave up just one run through his first three outings after

debuting last May 2, but he’s not been far off, either.

Back then, he was almost exclusively a fastball pitcher, utilizing his high-riding four-seamer 63.3% of the time in that stretch. But now, it’s the fortification of his secondaries that have made him much tougher to match up against. The versatility of

his arsenal has allowed him to reach new territory -- and the trust that comes with it -- by operating a third time through an opposing lineup and beyond.

In 2023, Miller had a 4.76 ERA and .697 opponent OPS that late in a game, while this year, it’s a .465 OPS and zero runs allowed.

“Really all of last year, like if I went short or if I went long, it was like, you're going to get a lot of heaters,” Miller said. “Even the third time through, they knew what they were getting. So as the game would go on, they'd seen it a couple of times and

they know what's coming. And these hitters are good, so they can adjust. So that's one thing I wanted to work on -- being able to keep hitters on their toes every at-bat and where they can't just sit on a pitch and know it's coming.”

As for the offense, the Mariners chased an opposing starter before the fifth inning for the first time all season and did so on the heels of Rodríguez’s clutch moment -- which they sorely hope is a sign of things to come given his slow start.

Rodríguez, who’s hitting .200 with a .472 OPS, punched a fastball into shallow center field after chasing a first-pitch changeup -- on the heels of chasing strike three in the third and doing so again in the sixth.

“I expect myself to come through in those situations,” Rodríguez said. “It's not like it's something that if I come through, it's like, 'Oh my. I came through.' No, I expect myself to come up to the plate in those situations and deliver for the team.”

Ryne Stanek Secures the Mariners' 4-2 Victory

The Mariners' Opening Day starter has pitched thirty or more games three times in his career, he earned American League Cy Young votes for Seattle in 2023, and he's about as consistent as they come.

But in the early days of the 2024 season, the consistency and heavy innings have eluded Castillo. He has yet to pitch six full frames this year and entered his third outing with a 6.75 ERA. In Seattle's 5-2 loss to the Blue Jays at Rogers Centre on Monday night, the righty’s search for his

workhorse self continued.

J.P. Crawford HR

Mariners are finally on the board with a J.P. Crawford HR

“Luis is certainly capable,” manager Scott Servais said. “He wouldn't be the pitcher he is in this league unless he had the ability to go and finish off hitters. He's just struggling with it right now.”

For a second straight outing, Castillo looked to be back on track as the game began. In his last start, against the Guardians, the Seattle hurler retired eight of his first 10 batters, pitching three scoreless innings before things unraveled. On Monday against the Blue Jays, Castillo retired

the top of Toronto’s order with ease -- three straight routine groundouts to get out of the first inning on just eight pitches.

In that opening frame, Castillo was living on the edges, inducing soft contact and cruising. It was exactly what the righty’s been searching for, as he’s been either in the heart of the zone or missing by too much, resulting in plenty of hits and walks.

“His stuff has been fine, it’s more about the execution,” Servais said before Monday’s game. “Sometimes the ball has been in the middle of the plate at the wrong times, to the wrong hitters.”

But after the first inning, the walks and mashable middle pitches returned. After allowing the first three batters to reach base in the third frame, Castillo faced Toronto's Davis Schneider with the bases full.

After getting to two strikes, Castillo put a slider right where he wanted. The wide-breaking pitch slid out of the strike zone and away from Schneider, but just not quite far enough. Schneider slashed out at the pitch, connecting on the breaking ball and sending a looping liner to the

outfield grass. As the hit landed on turf, two Toronto runners rounded third and slid across the plate, putting the Mariners down 3-0 early.

The Blue Jays added one more run in the fourth before Castillo’s day ended after five frames and 101 pitches. Four runs across five innings is far from a disaster start, but for a guy like Castillo, who pitched at least six innings 23 times last year, it's not up to his standard. And with the

Mariners' offense scuffling to start the season (they recorded just two runs in Monday's loss) it wasn't enough.

Cal Raleigh's Solo Homer

 

“I think the key is to just attack the batter -- that’s going to be the key for me to go longer [into games],” Castillo said via team interpreter Freddy Llanos. “And also try to get the batters to get soft contact to get the outs early.”

You don’t have to look very far to see what Castillo can be when he’s on. Toronto’s Rogers Centre -- the venue for Castillo’s outing on Monday -- is the same building in which he carved through 7 1/3 scoreless frames in Game 1 of the 2022 AL Wild Card Series, looking utterly unhittable

in that Mariners win.

When he’s dialed in, Castillo is that ace. When he’s living on the edges and in complete control, he can pitch deep into games. So far this season, Castillo hasn’t yet been the workhorse.

“I think if anybody’s got their top of the rotation guy struggling like that, you need him back,” Servais said. “There’s no question about it. He’s certainly capable of doing that.”

“We played a really good game tonight,” Mariners manager Scott Servais said.

Miller was easily the game’s MVP, turning in arguably the best start of his young career. He matched a personal best with seven shutout innings and needed just 78 pitches to do so. He effectively landed his two- and four-seam fastballs at the bottom of the zone early, rode the heater at

the top rail later in counts and mixed in his new splitter as a dominant out pitch.

Perhaps most telling was that Miller -- who’d been tagged by left-handed hitters for a .903 OPS in his first 26 career starts -- held them hitless in 13 at-bats on Saturday.

7 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 7 K (78 pitches)

“That was my goal this offseason, to find a way to attack lefties,” Miller said. “And I'm happy with where we're at.”

Saturday was also a stark difference to how he trended over the final month of his rookie year, as Miller entered carrying a 6.05 ERA across his past eight starts dating back to Aug. 25, over which hitters had a .914 OPS against him.

Moreover, while mowing down Milwaukee, Miller barely broke a sweat.

At the only moment where potential damage loomed for him, Miller needed a quick break -- to tie his right shoe. He’d just surrendered a two-out single to William Contreras while working the third time through the Brewers’ lineup, and awaiting in the on-deck circle was Christian Yelich,

the lefty slugger who’s been hitting like the 2018 version of himself that was the National League MVP.

 

 

Jorge Polanco's Nice Snag

After Miller double-knotted his gray New Balances and catcher Cal Raleigh utilized the time for a mound visit, Miller blew an elevated four-seamer by for a swinging strike and a darting splitter for a groundout.

“I feel way better with where the sinker is this year,” Miller said. “It's hard enough to hit one fastball, let alone two, so if I'm able to mix both of those, then it also helps getting ahead and then I can play the splitter or whatever off of it.”

The way Miller was pitching made it somewhat surprising that Servais replaced him to begin the eighth with Austin Voth, who gave up a leadoff single to Brice Turang then a massive two-run homer to Jackson Chourio that made things interesting. Gabe Speier then entered and issued a

four-pitch walk to Yelich and gave up a sac fly to pinch-hitting Rhys Hoskins to make it a 4-3 game, before Trent Thornton came in and induced a groundout to close the floodgates.

Jorge Polanco's Solo Homer (1)

 

 

HAVE A DAY JORGE POLANCO

 

“Everybody wants to [question it] because we gave up a couple of runs,” Servais said. “We are so early in the season. It's seven innings. He's not been up and down that much. This is a young pitcher that's got 30 more starts ahead of him.”

Then came Muñoz, who the night prior walked the bases loaded, then issued a free pass to walk it off. But on Saturday, Muñoz pitched a 1-2-3 ninth for his second save, capped with a punchout of Chourio, MLB Pipeline’s No. 2 overall prospect.

"I want to do the best that I can to help the team and to not be able to do it, it's a lot of frustration on me,” Muñoz said. “And that's why the good thing was I came the next day, ready to work ... so that doesn't happen again."

Muñoz’s efforts were aided heavily by a key solo homer from Urías in the ninth, and Miller’s were backed by a three-run third, which began with a bunt single from Samad Taylor. The speedster then advanced to second on a passed ball, to third on a single from J.P. Crawford and scored

on a 98.2 mph knock from Julio Rodríguez. Jorge Polanco -- who hit his first homer with the Mariners in the eighth -- and Mitch Garver also had RBIs in the inning.

It wasn’t just the final free pass that proved decisive; Muñoz also began the outing by walking the bases loaded. His fastball was all over the place, and he only landed four of the 10 sliders he threw for strikes.

Never before in Muñoz’s career had he walked more than two in 141 previous outings.

“He just wasn't attacking the zone,” catcher Cal Raleigh said. “Usually, with the stuff that he has, when he's attacking the zone, he's at his best. Walks will kill you. Leadoff walks will kill you. … And that's exactly what happened.”

Cal Raleigh's RBI single

That stunning sequence came on the heels of the Mariners’ struggling offense storming all the way back and tying the game with two runs in the ninth. Former Brewer Luis Urías ripped a ground-rule double to the right-center gap, and Julio Rodríguez scorched a 107.9 mph RBI groundout

to the shortstop, which easily scored speedster Samad Taylor, who was recalled hours earlier from Triple-A Tacoma.

Taylor reached via a two-strike single against an off-plate slider, following a leadoff single from Dylan Moore, who lined a 100.5 mph knock. Both players came off the bench earlier and delivered against flamethrower Abner Uribe, who was previously 3-for-3 in save opportunities filling in

for All-Star Devin Williams as Milwaukee’s closer.

“Obviously, we haven't been hitting it well,” Raleigh said. “And to do it against a pretty good pitcher today, we came back, got back in the game like we were supposed to and a few things didn't go our way.”

Yet, before the ninth, the Mariners had virtually nothing going other than a three-run sixth, when they finally chased Freddy Peralta. That was after the former All-Star and Mariners prospect from ages ago carved his way to each of his seven strikeouts against his first 15 batters.

But as the lineup flipped a third time -- and Peralta saw a dip in fastball velocity and breaking-ball command, with most of his sliders in the dirt -- the Mariners pounced with their heart of the order.

J.P. Crawford ripped an opposite-field single and Rodríguez was hit by a pitch with no outs. Mitch Haniger yanked a 2-2 fastball inside for an RBI single, after a wild pitch that advanced the runners, Mitch Garver followed with a 350-foot sac fly and Raleigh launched a 109.8 mph single

that one-hopped off the right-field wall to tie the game.

Mitch Haniger's RBI single

All of a sudden, it was a new ballgame, and Peralta was pulled.

“It looked like guys were getting off better swings,” Raleigh said. “I think we started getting on the heater, and obviously the middle-order is supposed to drive runs.”

The Brewers had most of their production come from their primary run producers, with homers from each of their Nos. 3-5 hitters -- Christian Yelich, Willy Adames and Oliver Dunn -- off Logan Gilbert, who tied a career high.

Each of Gilbert’s homers were in 1-1 counts -- the sequences that the Mariners deliberately preach about winning -- but were all up in the zone. The most dramatic of the day was the 431-foot, 112.4 mph blast that Yelich sent to the deepest part of the second deck.

“That’s what we always talk about, but obviously, there's a balance, and you have to execute well and not just put it in there for the sake of throwing a strike,” Gilbert said.

Yelich struck out in each of his first two at-bats, the first of which marked the 500th of Gilbert’s young career. But the milestone took a backseat given how his day ended.

Logan Gilbert's 500th Career Strikeout

“It's frustrating. It's not what I was trying to do,” a visibly bothered Gilbert said. “Our offense did a great job.”

“I think J.P. thought the ball was a little bit harder and didn't think he was going to get to it originally, and Polo is going to go after it,” Servais said. “Somebody usually calls the other guy off. They were both trying to get there and they ran into each other.”

That moment encapsulated a shift from sloppy to scary on a day where every infielder, other than third baseman Luis Urías, was at the center of a fielding hiccups despite no errors being charged.

It started in the first inning, when starter George Kirby hit Giménez on his shin guard with an 0-2 splitter, continued when Ty France muffed an exchange between his glove and throwing hand on a would-be throw to the plate to nab Giménez running from third (though Giménez likely

would’ve beat the throw anyway), and extended when Polanco couldn’t corral a chopping grounder when playing in with a runner on third.

Even the batterymates had their blunders, as catcher Seby Zavala sailed a throw into center field on a stolen-base attempt, and Kirby had a wild pitch reach the backstop allowing the same runner to advance to third, though neither of those plays yielded a run.

And that was only the first inning.

In the second, Polanco missed a leaping attempt at a 100 mph line drive from Brayan Rocchio and instead deflected it into right field. Rocchio later scored when Giménez ripped a 91.8 mph liner past France’s outstretched glove at first base.

“Definitely not the cleanest game,” France said. “It is what it is and was out of character for us.”

Two at-bats later, and looking to limit the damage, Servais lost a challenge on a tagup throw from left fielder Dylan Moore to Zavala at the plate, where Kwan slid around Zavala’s glove. The play was confirmed after a brief replay review.

Kirby was charged all eight runs on 10 hits among 23 batters faced over 3 2/3 innings, a disappointing follow-up to his scoreless debut on Friday against Boston.

Kirby had zero walks, but he also struggled to effectively land his splitter, which accounted for the HBP and wild pitch. The Guardians also put 20 balls in play against him, only four of which were hard-hit.

George Kirby strikes out Estevan Florial looking

 

“It's tough when you’ve got a team that really swings a lot and makes good contact,” Kirby said. “And for me, living in the zone a lot, I run into those types of games. So yeah, it was hard to get in a rhythm. But I'm not going to stray away from what I do well, filling up the zone.”

Moreover, Wednesday’s avalanche of defensive issues overshadowed Seattle’s ongoing struggles at the plate, which continued with their first shutout of 2024. The Mariners were blanked eight times last year, but only thrice after the All-Star break. On Wednesday, they had five hits and

only thrice reached scoring position.

“We really didn't do much offensively at all, and we’ve got to get that going,” Servais said.

Up next for the Mariners is their first road trip, which could be a welcome sign given that they’ll travel to venues more conducive for hitting in Milwaukee and Toronto.

In between, and in the at-bat just after Haniger’s miscue, Luis Castillo surrendered a two-out homer to Bo Naylor that gave Cleveland enough breathing room, given that Shane Bieber was spinning his way to nine strikeouts in his second scoreless effort of the season.

“You've got to play clean, unless your offense is really clicking and can overcome it,” Mariners manager Scott Servais said. “Our offense is not really clicking yet, so every out is so important.”

After Bieber departed, the Mariners made things interesting with two runs in the seventh, when Rojas -- who was at the center of much of Tuesday’s action -- chipped an RBI single past Ramírez at third base to end the shutout bid. Then, J.P. Crawford hit an RBI groundout, but Julio

Rodríguez skied a flyout to deep left field for the third out.

As things stand, Sockeye @MsSalmonRun holds the lead. Silver and Humpy are tied for last, but any-fin is possible. Sockeye: 4 wins King: 1 win Silver: 0 wins Humpy:

 

 

We are o-fish-ially on X!

 

 

Humpy is a Gem

 

Seattle had six hits against Bieber, and seven of their 14 in play off him were hard-hit (95 mph exit velocity or higher), including four in the first. But the 2020 American League Cy Young Award winner then settled in, stranding each of the three doubles that the Mariners recorded over

the rest of his six total innings.

Like Boston did so effectively against the Mariners over the weekend, Bieber went for the jugular with his secondaries, with six of his punchouts on his slider and knuckle curve. Just as effectively, he worked the edges, especially in deep counts.

The Mariners are now hitting .160 with a .412 OPS against offspeed pitches, the fourth- and third-lowest marks in MLB.

The offense has had some clutch moments, headlined by Rodríguez’s walk-off on Saturday, but they’ve also struggled to create momentum. And though this stat certainly won’t hold, each of their three victories have been by one run -- underscoring how vital an offensive uptick could be.

Josh Rojas' RBI Double

“There were some good at-bats, but again, at the end of the night, the strikeouts -- they will get you,” Servais said. “That guy can strike you out. He's got really good stuff, that does happen. But that is an area that we need to get better at.”

Beyond Bieber, Tuesday was shaping up as a pitchers’ duel with Luis Castillo, who struck out six of his first 11 batters and looked dominant, spotting the four-seamer much better than on Opening Day, landing the slider for strikes and generating a few gnarly whiffs on the changeup, a

pitch that took a step back in 2023.

“It's very important, I mean, instead of having two pitches, I have a third one that's very effective,” Castillo said through an interpreter. “And today, I felt like the location was there.”

Josh Rojas' Over-the-Rail Catch

But the at-bat that yielded Haniger’s error proved to be a turning point, especially given that Castillo had worked Will Brennan into an 0-2 count then labored through three straight fouls before Cleveland’s right fielder yanked a changeup at the bottom of the zone for the two-out knock.

Then, the homer to Naylor was a 96.3 mph heater out of the zone but in on his hands, just enough for him to ambush for a 383-foot, pull-side blast.

“I've always said it -- it's not how you begin, but it is how you finish,” Castillo said.

In just a few short bursts, Castillo was on the verge of another scoreless frame but instead left with a three-run deficit that wound up being too tall for Seattle’s bats to overcome. The play that ended his day was also within Rojas’ territory -- a fly ball that sliced over the third baseman’s

head in shallow left field for a single.

“I just got a bad read off the bat,” Rojas said. “I actually thought it was over my head more. So he hit it, I turned I actually turned my back all the way to turn in and get a sprint going. Then I looked back up and it was tailing and dying to the other side.”

“It starts with pitching with us, and we’re really excited for Emerson Hancock,” Mariners manager Scott Servais said. “That's his first Major League win tonight, and he earned it -- against a team that's been swinging the bat really well.”

Hancock, who assumed the rotation’s final spot when Bryan Woo suffered right elbow inflammation last week, showed no jitters despite pitching on a platform where plenty might persist. Beyond the homer, he surrendered two additional runs, including one that might not have

manifested had it not been for an overturned challenge that turned a groundout into a hit-by-pitch.

That third-inning sequence, which saw Ramón Laureano take a sinker off his knuckles halfway through a swing, led to Seattle’s first ejection of the season, with Dylan Moore being removed from the game by first-base umpire Adam Hamari while in the home dugout.

The play was initially ruled a groundout to Hancock, but after a challenge from Guardians manager Stephen Vogt -- who last year was the Mariners’ bullpen coach -- it was ruled a HBP.

The explainer was that, during the action, home-plate umpire Mark Ripperger appealed for a check-swing to Hamari, who ruled that there wasn’t one. That then led the Mariners’ dugout, along the first-base line and within earshot of Hamari, to question how a ball in play that was initially

ruled a groundout manifest without a swing at all.

Julio Rodríguez's Sliding Grab

“Guys are fired up, it was a crazy call,” Servais said. “The check-swing, obviously to hit a ball that rolls that far back to the pitcher, you had to have swung, but the umpire saw it differently.”

Immediately after, Hancock surrendered consecutive singles, a run-scoring forceout to Steven Kwan, a sacrifice fly to Andrés Giménez and another single to José Ramírez before escaping the jam. He wound up pitching 5 1/3 innings, beyond the threshold that Servais had hoped.

Though Hancock has been in the organization since being taken with the No. 6 overall pick in the 2020 Draft, Monday marked just his fourth MLB start. Injuries -- the latest a season-ending right shoulder strain last August -- have largely defined his career.

Julio Rodríguez's SENSATIONAL Leaping Catch

 

© Provided by Sports AlDente

But he was among the more promising storylines in Spring Training, and filling in for Woo -- who began playing catch on Monday -- will be vital, especially this early.

“It kind of felt like a debut all over again,” Hancock said. “Just the pregame, just the hype of how excited I was to get back out there.”

Canzone was another spring standout, but he’s been seeking his timing after going 0-for-8 in the season-opening series. The positive was that he ambushed a 1-1 fastball from Triston McKenzie up and away and sent it 411 feet to left-center for a three-run shot in the second. But he also

struck out twice more on offspeed pitches, to bring his season total to six punchouts in 12 plate appearances.

“Just kind of trying to get back on track, being a little bit more aggressive and just getting my swing off,” Canzone said. “Driving the ball that way, that's something that we work on and it's something that we worked on pregame so it's just nice to get a result out of it.”

The Mariners added another key run in the fourth when Luis Urías drew a bases-loaded walk, after Cal Raleigh ripped a 108.6 mph single, Ty France lined one over Ramirez’s head and Canzone reached on a fielding error by first baseman Josh Naylor -- a sequence tying back to Seattle’s

efforts of making better swing decisions and getting the ball in play.

However, one decision they’d like to have back was Rodríguez running through a stop sign from third-base coach Manny Acta in the eighth, though a 1-2-3 ninth from Ryne Stanek for his first save as a Mariner wound up overcoming that mistake.