Mariners tie series against defending champion Braves with a 3-1 game two win
By Bel Garcia
Seattle, WA - The Mariners had scored four plus runs in back-to-back games and lost for the first time all season and in nearly a calendar year, prior to the losses to the White Sox mid last week and the Atlanta Braves last night. Seattle has not lost back-to-back games where they have scored four plus runs since mid-September of 2021. With yesterday’s loss also came a drop in the AL Wild Card position, the Mariners started tonight’s game in the third spot with a four-game lead over the Baltimore Orioles for that last playoff berth position. It speaks to the level of offense that teams must play with against the Mariners to be successful, but also to the sense of urgency that the Mariners played today’s game. Seattle had three runs today and came away with the 3-1 win.
George Kirby was stellar for Seattle in his start (Photo by Mathew Bermudez)
Seattle starter George Kirby got the start on the mound for tonight’s game two matchup against the Atlanta Braves. In Kirby’s first 20 career starts, he holds the highest strikeout-to-walk ratio with 7.79. In a great night for Kirby, he showed some pitches that he had up his sleeve against the defending champs to keep them scoreless for six innings. The August AL Rookie of the Month went toe-to-toe with left handed pitcher Max Fried, not an easy task to do against a guy who’s third in the National League and fourth in MLB in fWAR. Kirby’s time on the mound came to an end midway through the seventh inning, his line for the night as impressive as his pitches; three hits, one run, 0 earned runs, 0 walks, and six strikeouts on 85 pitches.
Sam Haggerty continues to be a great addition to the lineup (Photo by Mathew Bermudez)
Sam Haggerty had a game and has proven to be an exciting player in this lineup. In the second inning it looked like the Braves could once again start the game strong on offense or could have had another foul ball. Haggerty sprints over, bobbles the ball, and makes the most exciting catch of the night to avoid some Braves damage. He was tested one more time in the same left field position on another 50/50 ball, but just barely misses the catch as it bounces off him. He was just as productive on offense, notching the first scoring run of the game on a solo homer that flew all the way into Edgar’s Cantina. Again, in the top of the eighth, Haggerty slid to make a catch and continued to come up big for the Mariners in tonight’s series tying game.
Eugenio Suarez celebrates his solo homer (Photo by Mathew Bermudez)
As we know, Suarez celebrated his 10,00th career hit and received a plaque in game one.. In tonight’s game he moved past that mark and got his 1001st hit in the bottom of the sixth to give the Mariners a two-run lead. Marking also the 28th home run of the season for Eugenio Suarez and the 12th since August 1st, only one behind Yankees’ Aaron Judge for the most in that period of time. Another familiar face in crunch time, Julio Rodriguez doubled in the seventh inning, sending Frazier home to bring the Mariners up by two runs.
Ronald Acuna Jr and the Braves will finish the series tomorrow in game three (Photo by Mathew Bermudez)
A lot of good things on both sides of the field for the Mariners tonight, they didn’t just rely on the long ball and were able to convert hits. As well as the great defense mentioned by Haggerty, the NO FLY ZONE definitely lived up to its name tonight. The only time Seattle could have cleaned something up was on a fielding error that allowed Dansby Swanson to make it to third base safely, which then turned into a scoring run with a Matt Olson hit and the only run for Atlanta. A tough task to win this series awaits the Mariners, they will play game three of the series on Sunday in a day game. Regardless of the outcome, the environment in T-Mobile Park is that of excitement for a potential playoff run.