Mariners notes: Offense stumbles with Suarez, J-Rod sidelined
What began as a routine ground ball from Angels infielder Luis Rengifo on Friday night quickly turned into misfortune for Mariners third baseman Eugenio Suarez, Seattle’s hottest hitter amid a postseason push.
Suarez picked the ball routinely, throwing across the diamond to retire a jogging Rengifo at first and cap a clean fifth inning for starter Robbie Ray. But the grounder first deflected off Suarez’s throwing index finger, “chipping” the bone, later tests revealed.
He remained in the game to bat in the fifth, but lasted only one swing – a flyout to right. Suarez grimaced, unmistakably, tossing his bat away in frustration.
“I think the swelling (wouldn’t) let me hit, or grip my bat 100 percent,” he said. “I took my first swing, it bothered me a lot. … That’s why I came out of the game.”
Suarez was uncomfortable, but optimistic in Seattle’s clubhouse following an 8-7 loss. “We’ll get more information tomorrow,” he told reporters. Additional testing Saturday morning revealed a slight fracture, following inconclusive x-rays.
Then came the roster move: Seattle placed Suarez on the 10-day injured list with a right index finger fracture, returning a rehabilitating Dylan Moore (right oblique strain) from Triple-A Tacoma to assume the active roster spot.
“It is concerning, no doubt,” manager Scott Servais said. “Geno’s been so huge for us on both sides of the ball.
“He’s been awesome. He’s played all year long, through some minor things and whatnot, and he’s been so clutch. But things happen. You’ve got to find a way to overcome it. And we will.”
The injury creates a timeshare at third base, a position that Suarez dominated all year long. He was arguably the team’s best model of consistency in 2022, already having appeared in 142 games, and his 15 home runs since Aug. 1 tied New York slugger Aaron Judge for tops in baseball across that span.
“He’s just such an integral part of what we do on an everyday basis,” Servais said, “in a number of different facets of the game.”
Los Angeles tagged Ray for eight hits and five runs in Friday’s series-opener, racing to a one-run win. A valiant Seattle comeback effort fell short with J.P. Crawford, the tying run, at the plate.
Suarez will see a hand specialist Monday in Arizona. Servais was sure “not to get too far down the road,” but can see a path for Suarez to be ready to hit by the end of his IL stint.
Throwing is a bigger issue.
“It is frustrating,” Suarez admitted. “I want to be there to help my team, and help the guys that believe in me. I just want to play every day. … Hopefully, I’ll be back soon.”
Expect Abraham Toro to man third base early and often in Suarez’s absence. Servais and the coaching staff discussed other options such as Ty France, who has played the position in his minor and major league career.
Utilityman Dylan Moore can handle the hot corner. So can Seattle native Jake Lamb, acquired from the Dodgers before the Aug. 2 trade deadline.
“It happens to every team. There’s no question. Every team has to go through different things throughout the year,” Servais said. “Mitch Haniger was probably our best offensive player last year, and we missed him… for four months of this season.
“We’ve survived because (others) have stepped up.”
Haniger was available off the bench Saturday night. He’d been out since exiting a Sept. 11 contest versus Atlanta with lower back tightness. All-Star outfielder Julio Rodriguez was scratched shortly before the contest with the same injury, and Los Angeles took advantage of Seattle’s depleted lineup by eking out a 2-1 win.
Reigning league MVP and Angels ace Shohei Ohtani was brilliant, posting seven shutout innings with a walk and seven strikeouts. Taylor Trammell’s eighth-inning solo homer was Seattle’s only offensive production.
“Disappointing,” Servais called it. “I knew it was going to be a close, low-scoring game. I fully anticipated that was going to be the way it (went).
“It would’ve been great if we got Ohtani out of the ballgame a little bit earlier.”
Haniger returned to Seattle’s lineup Sunday, but Rodriguez remained sidelined. Rengifo jumped on starter Marco Gonzales for two homers, powering the Halos to a 5-1 win. Los Angeles will play for a four-game sweep in Monday’s series finale.
The Mariners (80-65) remain in position to clinch their first postseason berth since 2001, still four games ahead of Baltimore (76-69) for the third and final AL wild card allocation.
Seattle trails Toronto (83-64) by two games for the first wild card spot, which would guarantee a three-game home series in the first round.
JULIO CONTINUES AL ROOKIE OF THE YEAR PUSH
As Julio Rodriguez dove headfirst into second base Wednesday – swiping the 25th base of his young and still-blossoming career – the 21-year-old All-Star etched another record into baseball’s history books.
But what stood out to Mariners manager Scott Servais, looking on from the home dugout, wasn’t the latest on a laundry list of accomplishments for the rookie outfielder. It was what Rodriguez did after, when most of T-Mobile Park was on its feet celebrating Seattle’s newest cornerstone.
The stolen base cemented a 25-steal, 25-homer season, the first by an American League rookie since Mike Trout (LAA) in 2012 and only the third time in history. Rodriguez was the first to accomplish the feat in his debut season.
Moments after second base umpire Tripp Gibson ruled Rodriguez safe, T-Mobile Park’s video board displayed the 25-25 statline. Rodriguez removed and tipped his helmet to the crowd before motioning to the front of his jersey, which spelled out “Marineros” on Hispanic Heritage Day.
To Rodriguez, it wasn’t about him, or his milestone. It was about his Seattle team, well-positioned for its first postseason play in over two decades.
“It’s about the Mariners,” Servais said Wednesday. “That’s Julio Rodriguez.”
Before his fifth-inning stolen base, Rodriguez hunted an opening fastball in the first inning from San Diego starter Mike Clevinger and destroyed the offering into the home bullpen, providing instant support for Seattle ace Luis Castillo’s shutout performance.
Infielders Carlos Santana and Eugenio Suarez later homered, and the Mariners beat the Padres, 6-1, to split a two-game series after being shut out for the first time since June 19 the night before.
“I feel like that was a game that we needed to win,” Rodriguez said. “It was a rough game yesterday, so I was just ready to compete. … I’m happy that I got that first pitch out and kind of got the boys going.”
Rodriguez’s blast was the instantaneous game-changer; their first run since Suarez’s walk-off homer last Sunday to win a series over the reigning-champion Atlanta Braves.
His status as the AL Rookie of the Year front runner remains unquestioned. Despite a slow start in April — perhaps partially due to poor umpiring — Rodriguez mashed his first homer in Miami on May 1 and never looked back, racking up back-to-back Rookie of the Month Awards in May and June.
In July, he took to the national stage, clobbering 81 home runs into the outfield seats at Dodger Stadium in part of a runner-up finish at the Home Run Derby. A day later, he and first baseman Ty France represented the Mariners in the All-Star Game.
“I don’t see myself as a rookie,” Rodriguez said after Wednesday’s win. “I see myself as a player, like anybody else.
‘I’m just happy that I’m able to deliver for the team.”
In 126 games for Seattle this season, Rodriguez is slashing .279/.343/.503 with 27 home runs, 73 RBI, and 25 stolen bases. He’s batting .447 (17-for-38) with five homers and seven RBI over his last 10 games, reaching base at a .533 clip.
Rodriguez missed Saturday’s contest in Los Angeles – manager Servais cited back stiffness. The rookie warmed up in Angel Stadium’s hitting cages only 30 minutes before first pitch, citing discomfort.
“It grabbed him,” Servais said of Rodriguez. “He did not feel good about it.”
The setback likely won’t cost him more than a few games – he’s considered day-to-day, per Servais.
“I just feel like a few days’ rest is going to be the best thing for it,” he told Daniel Kramer of MLB.com. “Especially right now, it’s better to be cautious with it.”
Rodriguez resumed some cage work Sunday, but remained out of the lineup. The back flareup is not “super alarming” to members of Seattle’s training staff.
SHORT HOPS
– Ahead of Wednesday’s game, Seattle announced starting pitcher Marco Gonzales as the team’s nominee for the Roberto Clemente Award, which “is bestowed annually to the player who best represents the game of Baseball through extraordinary character, community involvement, philanthropy and positive contributions, both on and off the field,” per MLB.
– George Kirby leads American League starters with 3.1 fWAR since July 1, ahead of a pair of rival aces: reigning MVP Shohei Ohtani (2.6) and Astros ace Justin Verlander (3.0).
In that stretch, Kirby is 5-1 with a 2.09 ERA across a dozen starts, walking eight and striking out 74. In those contests, the Mariners are 9-3.
ON DECK
The Mariners wrap up a four-game series with the Angels on Monday. Logan Gilbert is Seattle’s scheduled starter at Angel Stadium for a 1:07 p.m. PT first pitch.
Seattle’s final road trip of the campaign continues throughout the week, with stops in Oakland (Sept. 20-22) and Kansas City (Sept. 23-25). The Mariners return home to T-Mobile Park to conclude the regular season on Sept. 27.
This story was originally published September 18, 2022 at 4:16 PM with the headline "Mariners notes: Offense stumbles with Suarez, J-Rod sidelined."
