Seager saves the day. Mariners rally in the ninth, outlast Orioles in extras
Something about this day. Maybe the Baltimore rain-no rain. Whatever the reason, whatever it was, this was a day to end slumps.
But the definition of slump might as well have been Orioles left-hander Chris Davis, the subject of national headlines noting his pace toward maybe the worst season in baseball history.
Then he uncorked a go-ahead three-run home run with two outs in the eighth inning. He slugged 53 home runs in 2013 but entering Wednesday was mired with a .147 batting average and five homers for the team with the worst record in the majors.
But how about some Kyle style?
Kyle Seager, batting a career-low .225 entering the game, followed with a game-tying, two-run home run against Orioles closer Zach Britton in the top of the ninth.
Then Seager’s single in the 11th inning set up Denard Span’s go-ahead sacrifice fly in the Mariners’ 8-7 victory over the Orioles for their third consecutive win.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Clutch Seager. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TrueToTheBlue?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TrueToTheBlue</a> <a href="https://t.co/i3L9MLW0YD">pic.twitter.com/i3L9MLW0YD</a></p>— Mariners (@Mariners) <a href="https://twitter.com/Mariners/status/1012170277860433920?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 28, 2018</a></blockquote>
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“It takes a lot of guts, a lot of fight,” Mariners manager Scott Servais told reporters afterward. “To not just cave in there after they put the big home run on us in the eighth.
“It’s how we’re wired. We play all 27 outs. Guys don’t quit and you figure out and find a way.”
The Mariners (50-31) will go for the four-game series sweep Thursday morning after going 1-5 the previous week against the Yankees and Red Sox. They’re now one of four teams in the majors league with 50 wins, joining the Red Sox, Yankees and Astros.
The Mariners now have 25 one-run victories, most in the majors and a record-breaking pace, and closer Edwin Diaz earned his 30th save of the season.
Diaz had 34 saves all of last season and he broke the Mariners’ record for most saves before the All-Star break, passing Kazuhiro Sasaki’s 2001 mark of 29 saves.
“Guys are not taking pitches off, they are into it the entire game,” Servais said. “Not just consumed with themselves or their batting average. That’s when guys start playing a team game and we’ve done that from Day 1.
“Our guys are all in and nights like tonight certainly help drive home the point about how important every guys is to this ball club. It’s going to take all 25 guys.”
Some Mariners players who might have qualified for overcoming slumps (at least for a day): Seager, Mike Zunino, Ryon Healy and pitchers Juan Nicasio and Nick Vincent.
Alex Colome was pitching for the third consecutive game this series, and tasked against the heart of the Orioles order. The first two batters reached on two pitches. Two outs later, Davis sent Colome’s 3-1 cutter to Eutaw Street, the first time an Oriole has done that since 2016.
The Mariners went from a 5-4 lead to a 7-5 deficit.
But Mitch Haniger led off the top of the ninth with a single and then Seager, batting fourth for the second consecutive game for injured Nelson Cruz, launched his 15th home run of the season.
That was Seager’s second consecutive game with a home run and the second consecutive day he drove in two runs after the eighth inning, with his single giving the Mariners a 3-2 lead they wouldn’t give up on Tuesday. All that occurred without being able to give Cruz a jump hug, as is their customary celebration.
But how about Zunino?
He took a 92-mph fastball off of the faceguard on his helmet in his first at-bat. He was checked by trainers, remained in the game and was the first player out of the dugout as he trotted to his usual place behind the plate in the bottom of the second inning, though his batting helmet had cracked.
Two at-bats later, the Orioles intentionally walked Ben Gamel to load the bases with two outs for Zunino.
Zunino needed this. He shot a two-run single through pitcher Alex Cobb’s legs to give the Mariners a 5-4 lead in the fifth inning.
That ended an 0-for-13 run for Zunino. He had also been 1-for-his-last-25.
Servais said earlier in the series that Zunino had looked overanxious and wasn’t as consistent in his decisions.
Last year was dubbed the month of Junino when he hit .304 with 10 home runs and a 1.092 OPS (on-base plus slugging percentage) in 24 games, but he’d been hitting .161 with three home runs and a .570 OPS in 19 June games entering Wednesday.
“He was in such a good groove in the second half last year, and certainly the power numbers were there and you were seeing consistent at-bats and taking walks and laying off more pitches around the zone,” Servais said. “He’s a little anxious at times, like all guys are when they struggle a little bit. Edgar (Martinez) and Mike are grinding through looking at video.
“You want the same mechanical feel he had last year. He just hasn’t been able to get it here recently.”
He’ll certainly need more than one two-run single to really get his bat going, but this was a good start.
Healy ended an 0-for-9 run. He launched his 15th home run of the season over the center-field wall in the second inning for the Mariners’ first run. He later added a sacrifice fly.
Denard Span? He was typical Mariners Denard Span, hitting a run-scoring single in the third inning to tie the game, 2-2, after Jean Segura led off the frame with a hustling double. Span’s hitting .303 in 24 games since joining the Mariners.
The Orioles took a 4-2 lead later on former Mariner Mark Trumbo’s two-run single, with one scoring on Span’s throwing error in left field.
Mariners starter Wade LeBlanc struggled at times, but found his footing enough to get into the sixth inning.
He allowed a two-run home run against former Mariner Danny Valencia when the right fielder shot a low cutter past to left-center field.
LeBlanc’s day ended after 66 pitches with two outs in the sixth, with Servais wanting hard-throwing lefty James Pazos to face Davis. One pitch ended the inning.
Play of the game
These cardiac kids.
They’re now 7-0 in extra-inning games. They’ve now won 25 games by one run, which is on pace to set a major-league record.
Kyle Seager hit the game-tying, two-run home run in the top of the ninth inning just after the Orioles took a lead on Chris Davis’ three-run home run in the bottom of the eighth.
It came one night after Seager’s two-run single gave the Mariners the lead in their 3-2 victory over the Orioles in the eighth inning.
Denard Span drove in the go-ahead run in the 11th on a sacrifice fly to center field – just after Seager’s single to right got Jean Segura to third.
Top batter
Kyle Seager doubled, hit a home run, hit a key single in the 11th inning, finishing his night 3-for-6 at the plate. He also hit a hard line drive in his fourth at-bat but Danny Valencia sprinted and fully extended to snag it.
But Mitch Haniger was also 3-for-6, Jean Segura scored three runs and added a leadoff double in the 11th, one pitch after grabbing his back in pain and getting looked at by a trainer. And Denard Span went 2-for-4 with two RBI.
Ryon Healy hit a home run in the second inning and later added a sacrifice fly.
Top pitcher
Edwin Diaz, pitching for the third consecutive day, earned his 30th save of the season despite allowing a leadoff single in the bottom of the 11th.
Yes, 30 saves. And this is the exact midpoint of the season. Easy math says he’s on pace to become the second pitcher in major league history to get 60 saves, with the Angels’ Francisco Rodriguez setting the major-league record with 62 saves.
Kazuhiro Sasaki held the Mariners record for saves before the All-Star break with 29 in 2001. And Diaz has 30 saves and we’re not even through June, yet.
And think about this — Diaz has 30 saves and the Mariners have 50 wins. He's saved 30 of the Mariners 50 wins.
“Eddie's had a tremendous first half,” Servais said. “It’s tough anytime you run out there with a one-run lead. He’s been very aggressive. Great stuff again tonight.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr"> saves for Sugar. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TrueToTheBlue?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TrueToTheBlue</a> <a href="https://t.co/1Y81EHRbV3">pic.twitter.com/1Y81EHRbV3</a></p>— Mariners (@Mariners) <a href="https://twitter.com/Mariners/status/1012188843796246528?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 28, 2018</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The Mariners are 21-0 when he’s handed a one-run lead and he has 19 saves in those games.
Except this was Diaz’s third consecutive outing and he’s appeared in four of the Mariners’ past five games. So Servais said he won’t be available for Thursday’s game.
Chasen Bradford earned the win. He’s 5-0.
Quotable
“They hit the homer and I told the guys in the bullpen – the game’s not over,” Diaz said. “Then Seager hit a home run and when he hit it I said, ‘Let’s go, let’s win the game – right now.”
On tap
Mariners right-hander Mike Leake (8-4, 4.11 ERA) starts against Orioles right-hander Jimmy Yacabonis in the four-game series finale at 12:05 p.m. at Camden Yards. Baltimore’s starter had yet to be determined.
The game will broadcast on Root Sports and 710-AM radio.
TJ Cotterill: 253-597-8677
Twitter: @TJCotterill
This story was originally published June 27, 2018 at 7:48 PM.