Gonzales sharp in second start, Mariners offense adds on late in series win over Angels
Marco Gonzales often acted as a stabilizer for the Mariners last season. When the losses started pooling as the summer wore on, Seattle’s ace consistently produced competitive outings, giving the club a chance to win at least every five days.
His start Thursday night in Anaheim had a similarly refreshing feeling. In spring training and summer camp, it seemed Seattle’s new six-man rotation could be one of its strengths this season, but the first cycle through dampened that idea.
Mariners starters combined to give up 28 runs (25 earned) in their first six games. No one worked further than the fourth inning. Only Yusei Kikuchi and Justin Dunn — thanks to some quality run support after their nights were over — avoided being tagged with losses in their first outings.
But, Gonzales, steady as he often is, proved in Thursday’s series finale against the Angels perhaps those troubling starts the first time through the rotation — which were also often derailed by defensive miscues — were perhaps just a tune up.
“I was very confident he would get deep into the ballgame tonight,” Mariners manager Scott Servais said on a video call with reporters postgame. “Marco’s been throwing the ball really, really well.
“Pitch count got up on him a little bit last time out there, but tonight he was laser-focused on attacking the strike zone. Put guys away. Really good stuff.”
Gonzales made clear during summer camp his aim as a starter is always to work deep in ballgames, and he did that against the Angels, pitching into the seventh inning and giving Seattle its first quality start of the season.
The Mariners did enough offensively to give Gonzales room to work early, he left with a slim lead, and five runs tacked on in the ninth resulted in a 8-5 victory and series win as Seattle heads into its opening homestand this weekend.
“We’ve got a lot of good energy right now,” Gonzales said. “Really good culture of guys who work, they come to the ballpark prepared, and I’m proud of the guys who are getting their opportunity and seizing it.
“You’ve got a lot of guys that feel really confident right now and I’m just hoping we hold onto that.”
Seattle (3-4) swiftly opened up a three-run lead in the first inning on the first home run of Jose Marmolejos’ young career, and it ended up standing despite the Angels cutting it to one run in the fifth.
J.P. Crawford — who now has a four-game hitting streak, and has reached base safely at least once in each of the Mariners’ seven games this season — opened the inning with a base hit to center, and Kyle Seager drew a walk three batters later.
Marmolejos then attacked a fastball up in the zone from Angels starter Dylan Bundy, and pulled it 412 feet to right field to give the Mariners the cushion.
“It means a lot,” Marmolejos said. “It’s a dream come true. It even feels way better knowing it contributed to a team win.”
Servais noted how Marmolejos, who was 2-for-18 entering the game, had been swinging the bat well this first week, but didn’t have much to show for it.
He does now.
“You can see it when you’re here in the ballpark that he’s just underneath, just clipping them a little bit,” Servais said. “Thought it might be a good matchup for him tonight and he didn’t waste any time. He turned that fastball around from Bundy there in the first inning. Huge hit for us.”
The homer ended up being needed.
Much like they have at some point in each game this season, a defensive miscue cost the Mariners again. Gonzales got a pair of quick outs in the fifth before a spinning line drive slipped by Shed Long Jr.’s glove at second base.
Max Stassi crushed a two-run home run to right on the next pitch to make it 3-2.
Gonzales got out of the inning, retired the side in order in the sixth, and managed one out in the seventh before his pitch count reached 94. The tying run was on base when he was replaced by Carl Edwards Jr., but Edwards quickly retired the next two batters to preserve the lead.
Gonzales (1-1) finished allowing the two runs (neither were earned) on three hits with a walk and six strikeouts across 6 1/3 against the Angels’ veteran lineup, though Mike Trout was absent on paternity leave.
“It was lots of good command deep into the game and that’s my goal,” Gonzales said. “Physically I feel really good, so I’m just trying to hold onto that feel that I have and trust my body to be able to go deep.”
Matt Magill, one of the Mariners’ more reliable back end relievers a season ago, faced the minimum in the eighth.
The Mariners broke the game open in the ninth. Long homered on the first pitch of the inning — his first homer of the season — for some quick insurance.
Daniel Vogelbach and Mallex Smith drew back-to-back walks, and with Dee Gordon pinch running for Vogelbach, Joe Hudson pushed both runners into scoring position with a sacrifice bunt.
Crawford added his second hit of the game on a bloop single, scoring both runs to make it 6-2. Tim Lopes promptly added another base hit.
And then came Kyle Lewis, who jumped on a low curveball and pushed it into right field to score both runs.
The rookie outfielder’s thrilling hitting streak was in jeopardy following two strikeouts and a groundout in his first three at-bats, but he checked in with a single in the eighth to extend it to seven games, and added the second hit in the ninth to log his fifth consecutive multi-hit game.
“What a start to the season for Kyle,” Servais said. “He was a little frustrated. He was not picking the ball up off Bundy at all. He was talking about it in the dugout and fortunately for us when he got out of there, Kyle got right back to what he’s been doing, seeing the ball great, using the whole field.”
Lewis is now 13-for-29 with two homers, seven RBI, three walks and 12 strikeouts in his first full season with the club. He continues to lead the majors in hits.
The five-run ninth gave the Mariners enough separation to leave Anaheim with their third win. Shohei Ohtani belted a three-run homer off Dan Altavilla in the bottom of the ninth to cut the lead to three runs, but Altavilla retired the next two batters to end the threat.
This story was originally published July 30, 2020 at 9:42 PM.
