By Charles Hamaker
Seattle, WA – In game two of their doubleheader against the Detroit Tigers, the Mariners made sure that things did not go into extra innings, racking up twelve hits and plating nine runs to six for the Tigers. Despite allowing a grand slam in the top of the fifth inning, the Mariners bullpen did their job in the second game of the doubleheader, and will hopefully be able to give themselves enough rest after tomorrows series and regular season finale in anticipation for their Wild Card series on the road.
The Mariners infield celebrates the win (Photo by Liv Lyons)
Bullpen game sees rough patches, but gets the job done
Justus Sheffield took the mound for the Mariners, as an added roster spot due to the double header. Sheffield began the game well, allowing only one run through four innings. Things began to slip a bit for Sheffield, once a starter in the Mariners rotation, in the fifth inning. Sheffield gave up a grand slam to Kody Clemens of Detroit that gave the Tigers a 5-4 lead. Overall, Sheffield had a decent day and could have been in fine shape had it not been for the grand slam. His line: five innings pitched, seven hits allowed, five earned runs, four walks, and the homer with four strikeouts on 99 pitches.
The bullpen start continued as Penn Murfee, Matt Brash, and Diego Castillo came in relief of Sheffield. Of those three, Murfee was the only one to allow a run, and it came via a solo homer. The three only had one hit allowed against the, and no walks. “Los Bomberos” did the job asked of them, and they did so in efficient fashion in game two of a long doubleheader, on the second to last day of the regular season.
Matt Brash and Diego Castillo come out to the "Los Bomberos" bullpen introduction (Photo by Liv Lyons)
Toro time and more creative offense
Infielder Abraham Toro, coming off of the walk off sacrifice fly in game one of the doubleheader that ended just 30 minutes before game two, had himself a day. Being called up the day of as part of the doubleheader roster, Toro had a solo night, driving in four total runs on two hits. Two of those runs came in the former of a two-run homer off of the hit it here café in the bottom of the fourth inning, extending the Seattle lead. In the bottom of the fifth, Toro drove in two more runs with a single, snatching the lead back for Seattle.
The Seattle offense found a bevy of ways to score runs, including Dylan Moore getting hit by pitches twice to drive in runs with the bases loaded, Moore singling to drive in a run, a Cal Raleigh towering blast, and a sacrifice fly by Adam Frazier. Seeing the Mariners score runs, and many at that, in this fashion is encouraging just days away from their first playoff series in 21 years. Seattle cannot be as heavily reliant on the long ball as they had been in the second half of the season. If the Mariners can continue to generate runs in this fashion, they will be in solid shape come postseason time.
Abraham Toro had four RBI's in game two (Photo by Liv Lyons)
Postseason destination: Toronto
With their loss yesterday, the Mariners knew that hosting Wild Card playoff games at home was out of the picture, and that they were either headed to Toronto or Cleveland. A Tampa Bay loss or a single Mariners win during this doubleheader would send Seattle to Toronto to take on the Blue Jays in their first playoff appearance in 21 years. The contest between the Red Sox and Rays was rained out in Boston, with the Red Sox holding an eight-run advantage in the fifth inning. The game was called and ruled in favor of Boston, meaning Seattle was heading to Canada. Seattle has a 5-2 record against the Blue Jays this season, and went 1-2 when in Toronto. Luis Castillo will start game one of that series on Friday, with watch parties being held at T-Mobile Park for every game. Start times are still to be determined.
Dylan Moore was hit by a pitch twice in this game, both times with the bases loaded (Photo by Liv Lyons)
Quick notes
Seattle clinched the fifth overall seed in the American League playoff pool, meaning that even without the expanded playoff number of teams, the Mariners still would have made it.
Dylan Moore was hit by pitches twice in this game, both when the bases were loaded (in the first and sixth innings).
Moore became the first player in Mariners history to get hit by a pitch with the bases loaded twice in a game, and first in MLB since Harrison Bader with the St. Louis Cardinals on April 11th, 2019.
Dylan Moore has now reached safely in seven of his last ten games
Luis Torrens became the first player to win game one of a doubleheader and then start at a position in game two of that same doubleheader since Rocky Colavito of the Yankees back on August 25th, 1968.
Julio Rodriguez is batting .419 with a .479OBP, a .756SLG, and a 1.235OPS in the first inning this season, all of those numbers being the best in the majors.
What’s next?
Seattle will close out the series and the regular season with game four against these Tigers tomorrow, Wednesday, October 5th with a first pitch time of 1:10PM PST. Marco Gonzales will get the ball tomorrow on the mound for Seattle, and manager Scott Servais has said that Gonzales will give the Mariners everything that he has in order to rest the bullpen as best they can. Lefty pitcher Tyler Alexander will start opposite of Gonzales for Detroit.
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