Mariners win must-win against Astros in final home game, remain in playoff contention
Wednesday afternoon’s series finale against the Astros, the final game that will be played in T-Mobile Park this season, was a must-win for the Mariners.
And, the Mariners made sure they got one.
With four games remaining in this odd, shortened season, the club stays in contention for the second postseason berth out of the American League West for another day as it heads to Oakland this weekend to wrap up this 60-game sprint.
“Great series to end up the home portion of our schedule this year,” Mariners manager Scott Servais said on a postgame video call. “It’s been a while since we’ve beat the Astros in a series, so really happy with the way the guys played. They played super, super hard. Really we have all year.”
Seattle (25-31) needs to win out, and Houston needs to lose out, to swipe the second spot in the division, but the Mariners continue to hang on after doing something they haven’t against the Astros in the past two years — win a series.
The Mariners remain alive in the AL wild-card race, too, four games back of the Blue Jays in the same scenario.
Their 3-2 win over their tough division rivals, though — who the Mariners have gone an abysmal 4-25 against since the beginning of the 2019 season — perhaps signaled the beginning of a shift for baseball in Seattle.
The Mariners, even with one of the youngest rosters in the majors, are playing meaningful games in the final week of the regular season — even if it is shorter — and competing.
“We’re still playing for something,” Mariners infielder Ty France said. “We still have a little bit of a chance, and we know that, and we’re coming out with some fire and kind of just running with it right now. It’s a good group of guys we have over here. A lot of young guys. And we like to have fun.”
Young left-hander Nick Margevicius, who was slotted into the rotation in August in place of injured Kendall Graveman, delivered his best outing in his eighth start, holding Houston scoreless through his six complete frames as the Mariners built a modest lead.
While the 24-year-old felt he didn’t have his best stuff, he relied often on his curveball, and still managed to keep the Astros off-balance. He worked quickly through the first two innings before allowing his first hit on a double to lead off the third. He issued a one-out walk to give the Astros a pair of base runners, but shortstop J.P. Crawford ended the threat moments later when he snared a line drive from Jose Altuve, and zipped the ball over to second to double up George Springer.
Margevicius worked through an easy fourth, but found traffic again in the fifth when the Astros loaded the bases with one out on a pair of singles and a walk. But, he got himself out of this jam, striking out Springer and getting a fly out to center from Altuve to put up another zero.
He finished his afternoon with a 1-2-3 sixth against the middle of Houston’s lineup. It was Margevicius’ third quality start this season, but the first time in parts of two seasons in the majors he has tossed six scoreless innings. He walked three and struck out four on 94 pitches.
“I thought Marge really hung in there and executed well,” Servais said. “You look at his final line and the results were outstanding. I think he’d be the first to tell you maybe it wasn’t the best stuff he’s had, as far as crispness to it, but he’s learning. He learned the value of that curveball. I thought his curveball was outstanding today. Even though the fastball velocity maybe wasn’t as good as we’ve seen out of him in the past, using the curveball like he did really helped play up the fastball when he needed to go to it, so awesome job by him.”
Margevicius has shown the Mariners he is a starting pitcher, Servais said, and the club has felt comfortable with him in the rotation every sixth day. In this season of opportunity for young players, Margevicius, who was claimed by the Mariners in January after the Padres parted ways with him as a young 23-year-old, has certainly been a player who has taken advantage.
“He landed in the right place,” Servais said. “He landed in a Mariner uniform and it is the year of opportunity with young players, and I think he’s very grateful for that. We’re super grateful. I love having him out there. I love how he competes.”
“I feel like I’m in a good place right now, and especially with the Mariners, and what they’re doing with me developmentally and progressing me forward,” Margevicius said. “I’m really encouraged and I’m really excited honestly for what the future holds. I got lucky. I ended up in a good spot.”
Graveman, who has thrived in a bullpen role since returning from the IL, needed only six pitches to tally a scoreless seventh. He caught Martin Maldonado looking for his 300th career strikeout to lead off the eighth, but the Astros put two runners on when Springer drew a walk and Altuve singled.
Rookie left-hander Anthony Misiewicz was called in to face Michael Brantley, who he promptly retired before striking out Alex Bregman to end the threat.
The Mariners were on the verge of a shutout, carrying it into the ninth inning, but lost it when Yoshihisa Hirano allowed a two-out RBI double to pinch-hitter Josh Reddick that made it 3-2. Hirano did eventually collect his fourth save of the season when he struck out Altuve swinging after laboring through the 28-pitch inning.
The Mariners’ offense did enough to push Zack Greinke out of the game at 92 pitches in the fifth.
A France double scored Kyle Lewis in the first to give the Mariners the decisive 1-0 lead.
Kyle Seager drove in another run on a double to the wall in right center with two outs in the fifth. Crawford raced around the bases and scored from first, diving across ahead of the tag. France followed up with a RBI single to left to make it 3-0.
This story was originally published September 23, 2020 at 6:51 PM.
