Justus Sheffield delivers best start of season, Mariners avoid sweep with win over Rockies
This was the start the Mariners were waiting to see from Justus Sheffield.
They’ve seen glimpses in parts of two seasons since acquiring him in the James Paxton trade with the Yankees in 2018 how dominant the young left-hander can be.
Sheffield worked five scoreless innings last September at Wrigley Field. He followed up the next week with a one-run performance in seven innings against the Reds back home in Seattle in the first quality start of his career.
Before the COVID-19 pandemic shut down spring training he was a standout in Seattle’s rotation. In three weeks of summer camp, he tied for the team lead in strikeouts.
There have been mixed, sometimes frustrating results for the 24-year-old in between — including compiling a 9.39 ERA in his first two starts against the Angels and A’s this season — but everything seemed to come together Sunday afternoon at T-Mobile Park.
Sheffield was quick, efficient and commanding through six scoreless innings against the Rockies, setting the tone for a 5-3 Mariners victory in the final game of their opening homestand, and collecting the first win of his career.
“It means everything, means the world, honestly,” Sheffield said of his first win on a postgame video call with reporters. “Not only for myself, but to come out and finish the series with a win before we get on the flight, that’s always great. Definitely happy and excited about that.”
Seattle (6-11) avoided a sweep with the win, and ended a three-game skid behind undoubtedly one of the best outings Sheffield’s had since joining the organization.
He allowed just four hits, struck out seven and for the second time in his Mariners career — which spans 11 appearances and 10 starts in the past two seasons — didn’t walk a batter on 91 total pitches.
“To see him perform on the main stage here was awesome to see,” Mariners manager Scott Servais said on a postgame video call with reporters. “No walks, seven punchouts today, in total command for all six innings he was out there.
“The future is very bright for him.”
Sheffield was sharp throughout the six shutout frames, consistently working ahead in the count and throwing first-pitch strikes to 15 of the 22 batters he faced.
“He was really focused today,” Servais said. “We’ve been hammering it, and we’re going to continue to hammer it with our guys. Even though we’re young and we’re inexperienced, the game’s the game. ... The reason our young guys are here is they’re very talented, and we’ve got to get them experience, but they’ve got to get the right mindset when they take the mound or get in the (batter’s) box, and that is about controlling the line of scrimmage, controlling the strike zone.”
Sheffield had no trouble there Sunday. He rarely fell behind and put himself in position to strike out the season-high seven batters — six of them with his wipeout slider.
“I knew that they were a pretty aggressive team, but also knew that if I was able to land my secondary pitches I’d be in a good spot getting ahead,” he said. “That was my main thing, get to two strikes as quick as possible, and put them away. Didn’t really want to mess around.”
The Rockies sprinkled four hits across Sheffield’s outing, but didn’t convert any runs. Charlie Blackmon, who continues to lead the majors in hits with 27, doubled and singled off Sheffield, including leading off the fourth inning with a base hit.
Sheffield then put away Matt Kemp with a slider, but allowed another single to David Dahl, which gave Colorado runners at the corners with one out.
Sheffield coolly worked a pop fly from Elias Diaz and wiped out Ryan McMahon with another slider to get out of the mini jam. He left the mound visibly pumped up and pitched a pair of 1-2-3 innings to end his day. He retired the final eight batters he faced in order.
“It was very big,” Sheffield said of recording that strikeout of McMahon to end the fourth. “Just because we were up two. I had a shut down inning that third inning, and then went out for the fourth and was able to keep them off the board.
“I’m definitely I’m a player that plays with emotion, and I feel like that just elevates my play. Especially in those situations, I feel like I lock it in pretty well, and never scare away, and go right at guys.”
Dylan Moore’s third homer of the season gave Sheffield a quick lead to work with in the first. After shortstop J.P. Crawford singled to lead off the game, Moore pushed a fastball from Rockies starter German Marquez just clear of the fence in right to give the Mariners a 2-0 advantage.
Erik Swanson, who came over the in the Yankees deal with Sheffield, needed just seven pitches to get out of a clean seventh, and struck out both Diaz and McMahon swinging on three pitches.
Seattle tacked on three insurance runs in the seventh to pull away. Kyle Lewis outlegged an infield grounder for a hit to open the inning, and Chris Owings bobbled a sure double play ball on a grounder from Kyle Seager, and threw it wildly past first base.
That set the Mariners up with runners at second and third with no outs, and after a weak infield groundout from Daniel Vogelbach, Evan White sent a long fly ball to the warning track in center to scratch Lewis across. Seager then scored on a Tim Lopes single to right. Lopes promptly stole second and scampered around the bases when Dee Gordon dropped another base hit into right to make it 5-0.
The extra runs ended up being needed. Dan Altavilla recorded two quick outs for Seattle in the eighth, but the inning started to unravel from there. He walked Garrett Hampson, who stole second and scored on a Trevor Story single. Then he walked Blackmon and allowed another run-scoring single to Kemp.
Altavilla was pulled at that point, and Camas High School product Taylor Williams gave up another run-scoring single to Dahl that made it 5-3. Williams struck out pinch hitter Daniel Murphy to end the threat with two runners left on base.
Williams struck out two more in the ninth to close out the win and collect his third save of the season.
This story was originally published August 9, 2020 at 3:55 PM.
