Mariners takeaways: Seattle wins ‘gut-check’ sweep, grabs top spot in farm rankings
Midway through a post-game press conference, Scott Servais choked up. In an attempt to describe the heart and never-give-up mentality of his young team, tears formed in his eyes.
After sweeping the Rangers, Servais called a brief meeting with the team. Thursday’s roller-coaster win teetered between dominance and disaster; their ninth-inning, five-run lead vanished, and the Mariners needed 11 innings to finish the job.
The team could have packed it in. It would have been so easy, Servais said. But they didn’t.
“We don’t do that. … So pardon me for getting emotional, but I really love this team, I really do.”
Servais told the team how proud he was of their resiliency. Even as the game slipped from their fingers, the Mariners retained enough of their grip. They found a way.
The game was set up to be a clean, painless finish. Servais brought Anthony Misiewicz to finish the job with a five-run cushion, but he allowed the first three Rangers hitters to reach.
Diego Castillo came out of the bullpen to clean up the mess. He struck out a pair, but with two outs, Castillo hung a slider middle-middle that Jason Peters cranked into the right field seats.
It was 7-2. And then 7-3. Then, 7-4. And finally, 7-7.
It took a heads-up defensive play by Ty France to escape the tenth inning. Just minutes later, the first baseman cranked a two-run shot to retake a 9-7 lead, and that proved to be the difference.
It was a long day, Servais said. The meeting — this meeting, in particular — was to show appreciation for a Seattle team that had reached a season-best ten games over .500.
“He’s done it a few times this year,” France said of Servais’ postgame meeting. “He’s pulled us aside just to let us know he appreciates our work, and all the work we put in.”
Paul Sewald, one of Seattle’s prominent go-to relievers, came in to close out the final frame, despite pitching the previous two days. Before the game, he told Servais he’d be available to throw, if the team needed him.
“Only in an emergency,” Servais replied.
“And that was an emergency.”
With the tying run at first, and the winning run at home, Andy Ibanez cranked a fly ball to left-center. Jake Fraley tracked it down, and crashed into the wall to make the sweep-clinching catch.
“That is the ultimate gut-check game,” Servais said. “When it’s falling apart, it gets away from you. And (it’s) so easy to pack it in, but our guys didn’t do it.”
After the Mariners dropped the final game of their series against the Blue Jays last week — a series they still managed to win, two games to one — Servais emphasized the difficulty of sweeping a team.
Your pitching staff needs to consistently keep you in games. You have to play great defense, and most importantly, you have to come through with timely hitting, he said.
The offense — until Thursday’s nine-run performance, at least — had sputtered through August. Their pitching led the American League in earned run average through the opening 16 games of August, and the Mariners were 9-7 as a result.
“You need a few things to go your way,” Servais said after Seattle’s series-clinching win Wednesday. “When you play that many close games, you know your margin for error is so small. … We got (on) the bus last night going back, and that’s what everybody’s thinking.”
But finally — after three consecutive series wins — the Mariners figured out a way to sweep the lowly Rangers. Even if it wasn’t how they drew it up.
“I think I’ve said it a few times this year… It’s really hard to sweep a team,” Servais said.
“And we proved it.”
M’s top new farm rankings for first time in franchise history
Since Baseball America first started ranking Major League farm systems in 1984, the Mariners had never topped the list.
Until now.
For the first time, Seattle owns the top spot in the rankings with two of baseball’s top-11 prospects, and four of the top 36.
The move comes in a mid-season re-ranking by the sports magazine founded in 1981. Just three seasons ago, Seattle was dead last on Baseball America’s list, and they deployed the oldest team in the majors.
Last week, Seattle leapfrogged Tampa Bay for the top spot, even as Jarred Kelenic and Logan Gilbert — both Top 100 prospects throughout spring training — graduated from prospect designations.
The rise of 19-year-old shortstop Noelvi Marte assisted Seattle’s rise in the rankings. In 87 games for Low-A Modesto in 2021, Marte has already amassed 100 hits and 17 homers. He’s reaching base at a .358 clip, and flashes a 55-grade arm.
When Jerry Dipoto refused to ship future pieces for win-now rentals at the deadline, Marte was surely a player the general manager wanted to keep.
“Noelvi, what he’s doing at 19 years old, is pretty awesome,” Jerry Dipoto told Danny O’Neil and Paul Gallant on 710 ESPN Seattle last week. “He’s young, he (has) five tools. We think he’s got the chance to stay at shortstop, (and) if not, the bat is going to play big enough to move to other spots.”
George Kirby and Emerson Hancock — Seattle’s 2019 and 2020 first-round picks, respectively — round out the Mariners’ representation in the Top 100 prospect ranks. They’re next-door neighbors on the list at 35th and 36th, and help construct one of the best starting rotations in Minor League Baseball for Double-A Arkansas. Both carry earned run averages at or below 2.50, and combine for a stellar walk-rate: just 2.3 free bases per nine innings pitched.
In his Double-A debut on August 11, the 22-year-old Hancock tossed 4 ⅔ innings of no-hit ball, walking one and striking out six.
“What you saw in his debut... that’s how good he can be,” Dipoto said on his self-titled podcast on 710 ESPN Seattle. “A real polish to him. I could say the same about Kirby. … These are guys that have thrown less than 100 professional innings, and they’re already in Double-A, which I think speaks to their polish, and really their talent. They’ll come quick.”
Julio Rodriguez tops the list, scouted as a future top-of-the-lineup slugger. Signed by the Mariners as a 17-year-old from the Dominican Republic in 2018, Rodriguez sits as the second-ranked prospect in baseball, behind only Baltimore’s Adley Rutschman.
In 28 games for High-A Everett in 2021, Rodriguez mashed 6 homers en route to a .325/.410/.992 slash line.
After a June 29 promotion to Double-A Arkansas, he picked up right where he left off, now hitting .308 in 21 games for the Travelers.
Earlier this month, Rodriguez represented the Dominican Republic in the Tokyo Olympics, and took home a bronze medal as their best player, going 10-for-24 in the games.
INJURY REPORT
Seattle placed reliever Diego Castillo on the 10-day injured list with right shoulder inflammation Saturday.
After Thursday’s appearance in Arlington, Castillo approached the club and said that his shoulder “hasn’t been quite right” throughout recent outings. He lacked velocity and the ability to throw crisp pitches, and paid a hefty price for it Thursday, when Jason Peters found a weak slider middle-middle and cranked a game-tying home run in the ninth.
“He was trying to work through it, but coming out of his last outing, (he) didn’t feel great,” Servais said. “Thought it’d be best to give him (time off). That’s where we’re at.”
Castillo was acquired in Seattle’s final pre-deadline move last month. He was set up to replace Kendall Graveman in the Mariners’ near-top-of-the-league bullpen, and carries a 3.86 earned run average in 10 appearances with the team.
After an MRI Saturday, Servais told reporters that the results are “a little better than we expected,” as Castillo will work on regaining strength in his throwing shoulder.
“I’m going to stay optimistic on this,” Servais said. “He’s not going to be out too long. … He’s doing everything he can to get back out there.”
ROSTER MOVES
As Justus Sheffield continues to work his way back from a left forearm strain on a rehab assignment, Justin Dunn — who was once reportedly “not far behind him” — was moved to the 60-day injured list Thursday.
To refill the 40-man roster, Seattle announced the signing of infielder Kevin Padlo off waivers from Tampa Bay.
Padlo, 25, appeared in 69 games for Triple-A Durham in 2021, and hit .194 with 12 home runs and 37 runs batted in. He made his Major League debut for the Rays on April 6, and appeared in six games for Tampa Bay, going 1-for-12. Padlo reported to Triple-A Tacoma.
Seattle placed reliever Casey Sadler on the paternity list Friday, and recalled RHP Yohan Ramirez in a subsequent move. Paul Sewald returned from the paternity list earlier last week.
On Sunday morning, the Mariners announced the acquisition of Matt Andriese, a right-handed reliever.
Andriese, 31, appeared for the Boston Red Sox in 26 games this season. He sported a 6.03 earned run average in 37 ⅓ innings, walking 11 and striking out 38.
The seven-year veteran has experience both in the rotation and the bullpen. With five healthy starters, Andriese will take on a bullpen role, and Servais hopes to debut him in a low-leverage situation as he returns from a hamstring injury.
On the mound, Andriese uses his changeup to get ahead in counts. It’s his best pitch, Servais said.
“I think it’s a really good pickup for us, the fact that he does have experience. He’s pitched in multiple roles in the past, and he’ll really help us going forward.”
Robert Dugger, a middle-of-the-game inning eater for Seattle this season, was subsequently designated for the assignment. He was recalled the day before (taking Castillo’s spot on the active roster), appearing Saturday for Seattle and allowing six runs in their 15-1 loss.
UP NEXT
After sweeping the Rangers and dropping two of three to the Astros, the Mariners travel to Oakland, and complete their road trip against the Athletics. It’s a quick, two-game set, as Marco Gonzales and Chris Flexen are in line to start at the Oakland Coliseum.
They’re 4-2 on the trip, but were outscored by 20 runs over the weekend in Houston. A 14-run loss on Saturday didn’t help.
“Not a whole lot to write home about tonight,” Servais said after Saturday’s blowout loss. “You have to give the Astros a lot of credit. … They’ve blown our doors off the last couple days.”
Similar to Thursday’s can-you-believe-it finish, Seattle avoided a sweep with a come-from-behind victory Sunday in a 6-3 win. Down a run in the ninth, Ty France smoked a game-tying home run that sent the game into extras. Paul Sewald struck out the side with the bases loaded in the tenth, and the Mariners offense jumped on Ryne Stanek for four runs in the 11th inning in an eventual 6-3 win.
“I said it the other day. It’s hard to sweep anybody in this league,” Servais said. “Again, we proved it today.”
After two games in Oakland, Seattle gets an off-day Wednesday, and kicks off a seven-game homestand against the Royals Thursday. Through Sunday, the Mariners remain nine games over .500, with a record of 67-58.
This story was originally published August 23, 2021 at 6:00 AM with the headline "Mariners takeaways: Seattle wins ‘gut-check’ sweep, grabs top spot in farm rankings."