The Seattle Mariners play in a division where the Rangers, Astros and Angels are fighting for west supremacy. Even the Athletics seem to be more of a national talk than Seattle, especially after their announced move to Las Vegas.
Many have seemed to forget about Seattle, who won 90 games last year and has crept back to hovering with the .500 mark. They have one of the best rotations in baseball, a strong bullpen and their offense is starting to wake up, as is Julio Rodríguez.
The Orioles, who are having a stronger season than many expected, have not forgotten that Seattle took four of six games from them last season and were not ready to overlook the Mariners.
Seattle arrived at The Nest and showed quickly why they should be feared as they handed the Orioles their worst loss on the season. But the Orioles regrouped and would take the next two games to nail down the series.
Let’s take a look at how the series unfolded.
GAME 1: O’s 1, SEA 13
This game got away quickly, as Seattle would score six runs from the second inning to the fourth. Kyle Gibson lasted only three innings, allowing five earned runs.
The bullpen didn’t fare much better, as the four pitchers who followed allowed eight runs (seven earned) before letting Josh Lester finish the game on the mound.
Keegan Akin absorbed most of the damage, allowing six earned runs in 0.2 innings. He allowed seven of the nine batters he faced to reach base.
The offense mustered three hits for the game, as Austin Hays, Ryan McKenna (pinch hitter) and Anthony Santander with a solo home run put the Birds on the board. The Birds dropped this one in ugly fashion, 13-1, in a game that started 105 minutes after the original start time.
GAME 2: O’s 6, SEA 4
After the bullpen was banged around in game one, Dean Kremer would have to be on point to give the Birds a chance.
Though he would allow three home runs, all solo, he would put forth another strong outing and pitch seven innings. It was Kremer’s 13th straight start of at least five innings and his eighth start of allowing three earned runs or less.
Kremer’s final line was seven innings, five hits, three earned runs, one walk and five strikeouts. Leaving with a lead and the back end of the bullpen set to take over, it looked like the Mariners were done for.
Yennier Canó came in, and though he got two outs, he also allowed two runners to reach base, the tying run in scoring position. Danny Coulombe would come in and retire the final batter, with Félix Bautista ready to take over.
Bautista would retire the first two batters of the ninth. Mike Ford, who homered earlier in the game, would take the first pitch, an inside 100 MPH fastball, and send it out to tie the game. Bautista would strike out the final batter, but the Birds would need a hero to win it in the ninth.
The offense battled all day. Anthony Santander tied it in the second with a solo shot, Ryan O’Hearn gave the Birds the lead in the sixth and Adam Frazier, who reached base three times, also had an RBI single.
Unfortunately, the Orioles were retired in the bottom of the ninth, and extra innings pursued. Mike Baumann came in and pitched a 1-2-3 inning, stranding the ghost runner at second.
With Cedric Mullins, who returned from the IL, on second, it was primed for Adley Rutschman to be the hero again. However, Rutschman flew out to center field on the third pitch he saw.
Ryan McKenna, who entered as a defensive replacement in the ninth, came to bat with a chance to win it and win it he did. McKenna took the fourth pitch he saw and sent it to right-center for a game-winning two-run homer.
The walk-off win made the Orioles a major league best 20-9 after a loss on the year. Anthony Santander was 4-for-4 for the game, with Gunnar Henderson and Adam Frazier collecting two hits a piece.
GAME 3: O’s 3, SEA 2
Kyle Bradish was entering the game looking to match or outdo Dean Kremer’s outing. It’s easy to say, Bradish definitely lived up to those expectations.
Bradish would complete seven innings, his second such game in his last three outings, allowing a total of two hits with seven strikeouts. One of the hits was a two-run home run, which accounted for all the scoring the Mariners’ offense could muster.
It was his 12th start allowing three runs or less and the sixth in the row. Bradish (4-3) has now matched last season’s win total. His ERA is now at 3.75, while his WHIP has dropped to 1.19 on the season.
Anthony Santander once again led the Orioles. He would not only rob Julio Rodríguez of a home run in the first but would also hit the game-tying home run in the third. It was Santander’s team-leading 14th home run and also the fifth time in six games that he has hit a home run.
Anthony Bemboom would provide what would end up being the game-winning hit in this one. Jorge Mateo, who reached base twice and scored two of the Birds ‘ three runs, would pick up a walk and score on Bemboom’s single down the right field line.
The bullpen would make up for its previous two showings. Danny Coulombe (H, 16) would work a perfect eighth inning to bridge the gap to Félix Bautista. Pitching with a fever that saw him throw 102 mph fastballs, Bautista (SV, 21) would strike out three batters to nail down the game and series for the Orioles.
The Orioles improved to 47-29 while remaining 4.5 games behind the Rays in the division.
BATTERY ❌-FACTOR
This series, the Orioles’ bullpen was dubbed the BATTERY ❌-FACTOR for the series. The bullpen played a role in all three games, but it was bigger in the final two.
For the series, the bullpen picked up a win, three holds and a save. Unfortunately, they also blew a save and had an ERA of 7.20 and WHIP of 2.00 for the series.
It’s fair to say that they were a factor for the series. The first game was already out of control when the bullpen entered, but allowing eight runs (seven earned) during the outing cemented the loss.
The pen did bounce back in game two, though. After blowing a save, they held Seattle scoreless for the walk-off in the 10th and dominated the last two innings of the final game to preserve the series victory.
There is no time to rest as the Cincinnati Reds are coming to town. After winning 12 straight, they have lost their last two games but remain a half game up for the NL Central lead.
It will be a battle of two surprise teams with electrifying talent on display, as it was announced Sunday afternoon that the Orioles are calling up top prospect Jordan Westburg for the Cincinnati series. It all starts Monday at 7:05 p.m. EST.
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