Mariners notes: Seattle returns home from road trip on four-game losing streak
The road trip ended with a fourth consecutive loss — this time on a walk-off grand slam in extra innings.
The Mariners (17-25) took a late lead in Sunday afternoon’s series finale in Boston, when an Adam Frazier single in the top of the 10th drove in the go-ahead run.
It wasn’t long before that lead was erased. Enrique Hernandez singled in the tying run for the Red Sox seven pitches into the frame. Then Rafael Devers singled, and Xander Bogaerts intentionally walked to load the bases.
Franchy Cordero jumped on an Andres Munoz slider two batters later, sending a 419-foot home run to right to clear the bases and end the afternoon with an 8-4 win that completed the weekend’s four-game sweep of the Mariners.
“It’s been a rough trip for us — a rough go of it here the last few weeks — but our guys come in with a good attitude every day,” Mariners manager Scott Servais told reporters in Boston postgame.
“They really did compete their tail off today. It just unfortunately didn’t go our way at the end.”
Since the stretch when the club went 9-2 the final two weeks April — and won seven of nine during the opening homestand — Seattle has won six games in the nearly four weeks that have followed, while dropping 19.
The club has not posted consecutive wins this month, last winning back-to-back games in late April by closing out the opening homestand with a three-game sweep of the Royals, and then tacking on another win in the series-opener against the Rays in Tampa Bay.
The Mariners then lost 10 of their next 11, which opened this troubling stretch the past few weeks.
“The attitude that this club has had really from Day 1 is continue to focus on getting better,” Servais said Sunday. “And we’ve had some adversity early in the season. More than we had really bargained for, but that’s just the way it goes. You’ve got to figure out a way to fight through it.”
The Mariners won their first road series this season at the front end of this trip, taking two of three games from the Mets in New York, but series losses to both the Blue Jays and Red Sox followed.
The series against Boston this weekend — which sends Seattle back home on a four-game losing streak after finishing 3-7 on this lengthy road trip — was the second time this month they have been swept by an opponent.
“We’ve all got to do better,” Servais said Sunday. “But with this group, they work very hard and they take their craft very seriously. They believe in what we do and our preparation every day, and that’s what you can control. Once you get on the field, you’ve got to just play.
“It will turn. It will. I know it looks very bleak right now, but as long as we continue to compete like we did today, we’ll be fine.”
ROSTER MOVES
▪ The Mariners added some depth and experience Saturday, signing veteran outfielder Justin Upton to a one-year deal.
The 34-year-old is a four-time All-Star and has played in 15 major league seasons with the Diamondbacks, Braves, Padres, Tigers and most recently five seasons with the Angels from 2017-21.
He has a career slash line of .262/.343/.471 with 349 doubles, 38 triples, 324 home runs and 1,000 RBI in 1,828 games. He hit .211/.296/.409 with 12 doubles, 17 home runs and 41 RBI in 89 games with the Angels last season.
Servais told reporters in Boston pregame Sunday the plan for Upton — who has not appeared in a game this season — is to initially report to extended spring training in Arizona and later join Triple-A Tacoma.
“It’s a veteran bat, opportunity to bring somebody in, and we’ll give him an opportunity when he’s ready,” Servais said.
▪ Seattle also recalled two players from the Triple-A club Sunday in outfielder Taylor Trammell and infielder Sam Haggerty.
Trammell rejoins the big league club after missing much of the first two months of the season with a hamstring injury.
He opened the season with Tacoma, appearing in three games and hitting 3-for-12 with two runs scored, one double, one home run, four RBI, two stolen bases and one walk to four strikeouts.
Trammell was on Seattle’s Opening Day roster in 2021, and appeared in 71 games with the Mariners last season, hitting .160/.256/.359 with 23 runs scored, seven doubles, eight home runs and 18 RBI.
Haggerty was hitting .304/.378/.512 for the Rainiers with nine doubles, one triple, five home runs, 21 RBI and 13 stolen bases in 32 games this spring, and gives the Mariners another utility option.
He has primarily played second base for the Rainiers this season, but appeared at second, third and each of the three outfield positions for Seattle in 48 big league games across the past two seasons.
In a corresponding move Sunday, the Mariners placed infielder Abraham Toro (left shoulder sprain) on the 10-day injured list after he left Saturday’s game in Boston in the third inning following a collision.
ON DECK
The Mariners begin a six-game homestand Monday, hosting the A’s (17-25) in a three-game series for the first time this season before the American League West-leading Astros (27-15) arrive for three games beginning Friday.
