Smacked early, Mariners rise for series win over Rays behind All-Star Luis Castillo
Mariners manager Scott Servais deemed Sunday the epitome of ‘competing’ — an urgent resiliency against Tampa Bay, baseball’s hottest team.
Albeit early on a beautiful sunny afternoon at T-Mobile Park, the Mariners once looked dead in the water. Newly-announced All-Star Luis Castillo was rocked for six runs (five earned) through three innings, including a pair of solo homers in each of the first two frames.
When the Rays ran away with four more runs in the third, Tampa Bay led, 6-1, and Seattle’s chance for a series win faded by the minute.
But these Mariners dug in and recovered from an early gut punch, a quick-and-needed rally after having dropped three straight series prior. Seattle was unwilling to go down — they refused to lose, some may say — and grabbed six unanswered runs to surprise the Rays, 7-6, in Sunday’s rubber match.
“As much heat as our offense has taken… and rightly so, we have not produced,” Servais began at the podium. “But I thought the way the guys responded today was awesome to see. It’s in there.”
Despite early hiccups, Castillo settled in, at one point retiring nine Rays in a row. He was announced as Seattle’s lone All-Star representative on ESPN amid his start, later hugged and congratulated by teammates in the home dugout.
“I honestly thought Luis had great stuff the entire game,” catcher Tom Murphy told Root Sports. “They came out swinging. They put the bat on the ball. Kudos to them (and) their approach… but Luis’ stuff was spot on.”
Down 6-1, Seattle jumped on Rays starter Taj Bradley and matched Tampa Bay’s four-run third inning to instantly pull back within one. Center fielder Julio Rodriguez struck the first of four consecutive Mariners hits — a double scalded to left-center field beyond the reach of Rays outfielder Randy Arozarena.
Mike Ford encapsulated the frame with a two-run single off Bradley, which shrank the Rays lead to 6-5.
Murphy blasted a sixth-inning solo home run to the bullpens, which tied the game at six.
Without a hit in the seventh, Seattle plated the elusive winning run. Rays reliever Jason Adam walked a pair and plunked a pair, the last a hit-by-pitch drawn by Jose Caballero that scored Teoscar Hernandez and gave Seattle a 7-6 lead.
Paul Sewald locked down Tampa Bay in the ninth, earning his 16th save.
Only days ago, Seattle fell to four games below .500. Their series with the Rays began Friday night with 3 ⅓ no-hit innings from starter Bryce Miller, who allowed a solo homer in the fourth and subsequently exited with a blister on his right middle finger. Tampa Bay piled eight runs in the eighth inning, creating a laughable, 15-4 final score.
Seattle responded to grab Saturday’s middle game, 8-3, aided by seven stellar innings (two runs) by blossoming sophomore George Kirby.
The Mariners are 40-42, now nine games behind Texas (50-34) for the AL West lead.
“Guys care,” Servais said. “I do know they care. And they care a lot more than maybe some other people think.”
ROCK BOTTOM?
The modest, Tuesday-night crowd of 22,671 stood in unison for their Mariners, hopeful for an extra-inning win to clinch a series over the rebuilding Nationals.
In the home tenth of a tie game, Seattle’s winning run stood just 90 feet away, and with nobody out. A series win was palpable, and so was the energy, with Ty France at the plate hoping to be the hero.
Seattle’s first baseman chased a 2-1 pitch outside the zone and popped out in foul territory; all runners held. Teoscar Hernandez followed with a swinging strikeout, fooled by a slider again well outside.
When Cal Raleigh check-swung a groundout that granted Washington immunity into the 11th inning, the crowd finished its evolution from certain, to hopeful, to hopeless.
Instead of celebrating a Mariners victory, spectators returned to their seats.
And back from the dead, Washington rallied for three runs in the 11th and took the middle game, 7-4, to a rain of boos from the home crowd.
“Not quite sure where to start after that ballgame tonight,” began Servais. “Every year, you look back, and there’s games that you absolutely should have won … and for whatever reason, you don’t win them. And they hurt.
“We failed to execute.”
Instead of returning to an even .500 on the season – a number they’ve now stuck at for well over a month – Seattle fell to 38-40, two games below that mark.
“It’s very frustrating,” Raleigh said candidly to reporters in the clubhouse. “I don’t think it’s a lack of effort. I just look at us, and we’re not a good baseball team right now, straight up. I think it’s nice and all, the good vibes and whatever. But we’re not playing well right now, and we know it.”
But was it rock bottom, truly?
The standings disagreed.
Seattle returned Wednesday and lost, 4-1, in a game that saw Nationals starter Patrick Corbin return to his 2018 self with seven shutout innings. The Mariners were 38-41, their newest low point all season.
Seattle fell to a season-worst 38-42 on Friday night before rallying for a pair of wins over the Rays on Saturday and Sunday.
“There’s nothing we can do about the last series,” Servais said. “I think if you spend too much time dwelling on what’s happening behind you, you don’t really take the steps forward you need to take.”
FORD, CLASE NAMED TO FUTURES GAME
An exciting pair of Seattle prospects will represent the Mariners on July 8 at the SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game, a contest hosted by T-Mobile Park that features the top minor leaguers competing on All-Star Saturday.
Number-one Mariners prospect Harry Ford and outfielder Jonatan Clase (number 12) earned spots on the American League roster for the seven-inning game on Saturday, July 8.
Ford, 20, is Baseball America’s No. 64 prospect and is ranked 49th by MLB Pipeline. The 2021 first-round pick has slashed .250/.407/.816 in 64 games for High-A Everett this season, and also represented Great Britain in the World Baseball Classic last March (1.246 OPS in four WBC contests).
Clase, 21, is the only player in minor league baseball with at least 15 home runs and 40 stolen bases this season, flashing a coveted combination of power and speed (16 home runs, 42 stolen bases).
Signed by Seattle as an international free agent from the Dominican Republic in 2018, Clase earned Mariners Minor League Player of the Month in April with a .337 batting average and 1.178 OPS in the month.
The Futures Game follows a National League vs. American League format, adopted in 2019 after 20 years of matchups between the U.S. and World. It’s scheduled for 4 p.m. PT exclusively on Peacock and SiriusXM.
MLB DRAFT PREVIEW
Part of All-Star Weekend, the 2023 MLB Draft is hosted by neighboring Lumen Field on Sunday, July 9, and the Mariners possess a trio of first-round picks.
Owners of four total selections on the first of three days (and 20 rounds), Seattle will select 22nd, 29th, and 30th in the first round as well as 57th in the second round. The Mariners received the 29th pick when Julio Rodríguez won the 2022 American League Rookie of the Year Award.
An exciting pool of talented position players from both the high school and college ranks. Meaning this draft – depending on front-office preference – could turn myriad directions.
Mariners Director of Amateur Scouting Scott Hunter addressed reporters ahead of Friday night’s game at T-Mobile Park, eager for next Sunday’s festivities: “The way I really look at it… we have three picks in the top 30. Just line up the best 30 players in the country and we’re going to get three of them as an organization,” he said. “That’s a really good place to be sitting.”
A pair of LSU Tigers – the reigning College World Series champions – are the expected top-two picks: OF Dylan Crews (mocked first overall to Pittsburgh) and right-hander Paul Skenes. They’re part of what Hunter considers a consensus top-five.
Then, beginning at pick six, Hunter says, is anyone’s guess.
“There’s not a real separation between the premium high school guys and the college guys who’ve had three years, physicality-wise,” Hunter said.
SERVAIS NAMED ALL-STAR COACH
Scott Servais will make his first-ever trip to the Midsummer Classic, named to the American League All-Star Game coaching staff by manager Dusty Baker Jr.
Seattle’s skipper is joined by Mariners Head Athletic Trainer Kyle Torgerson, both to represent the Mariners at the 93rd All-Star Game on Tuesday, July 11th at T-Mobile Park.
Servais’ first All-Star go-around comes in his home ballpark.
“There is so much about this city and this community that people don’t know, and the All-Star Game brings the biggest names, celebrities… everybody that touches the game at all will be here. … This has been years in the making.
“There’s a lot of baseball here, and it runs very deep.”
Baker Jr., a reigning champion as Houston’s manager since 2019, called Servais just over a week ago, a congratulatory surprise for his former catcher (Baker Jr. managed and Servais caught for the San Francisco Giants from 1999-2000).
“Very thankful for that. I’ve played for Dusty,” Servais told reporters Friday. “Ton of respect for Dusty. … First thing he ever told me: ‘Don’t start drinking. Because you will drink after every loss and you will drink after every win. They don’t tie in this league.’ I’ve adhered to it somewhat.”
ON DECK
Now begins a seven-game road trip to end the first half, starting at Oracle Park in San Francisco (July 3-5) and concluding with four games in Houston (July 6-9).
This story was originally published July 2, 2023 at 4:51 PM with the headline "Smacked early, Mariners rise for series win over Rays behind All-Star Luis Castillo."
