Mariners find unconventional offense to beat Phillies, 5-4
By Charles Hamaker
Seattle, WA – The Seattle Mariners were able to score runs early through unconventional means as they defeated the Philadelphia Phillies, 5-4. Mariners starter Robbie Ray was excellent through four innings, but faced some trouble in the fifth. Reliever Paul Sewald came into the game in the 8th inning, and although he did allow a solo homer, Sewald recorded his first save of the season. Seattle evens up the series, setting up a rubber match in tomorrow’s matinee game.
Mariners starter Robbie Ray (Photo Liv Lyons)
Ray day
Mariners starter and workhorse in the rotation, Robbie Ray, had a perfect game running through four innings. Ray registered 21 swing and miss pitches through his outing, and faced the minimum four times. The fifth inning was a different story, as Phillies slugger Nicholas Castellanos launched a ball to left field that bounced off of the top of the wall for a home run. Ray struggled a bit after the homer, walking three batters and giving up a double to Bryce Harper before being pulled. Overall, the Mariners ace had a solid outing and continues to be a critical acquisition.
Relief pitcher Paul Sewald recorded his first save of the season (Photo Liv Lyons)
Scoring in unusual ways.
The Mariners scored four of their five runs on odd plays, just a night after being shut out by Philadelphia. Seattle’s first run came off of a Eugenio Suarez broken-bat single against the shift, scoring Adam Frazier. The second run came off of a Julio Rodriguez single that dribbled up the third base line like a bunt, scoring Ty France. Seattle’s third run came off of an Adam Frazier single that was bobbled by second baseman Jean Segura, then fell out of the glove of first baseman Rhys Hoskins. Seattle’s fourth run was scored Ty France was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded.
It may not have been the offensive showcase that some wanted, but Seattle scored runs and that is all that matters. They lead major league baseball in the number of times that they have been shut out, so finding ways to score runs is not a bad thing. With that being said, the Mariners offense needs to produce way more if it wants to end its playoff drought. Considering that Mitch Haniger, Kyle Lewis, and Tom Murphy are currently injured, the bats should awaken as the season continues.
The Mariners look to win the three-game series against the Phillies when the two battle in the rubber match. First pitch is at 12:40PM PST in a Wednesday matinee. Young Mariners starter Logan Gilbert will likely take the mound to face Philadelphia’s Bailey Falter.