SEATTLE -- The Mariners were quite literally down to their final out on Friday night before a late, game-tying rally sent their series opener to extras. Yet their offensive shortcomings during the first 26 outs proved too tall to overcome in a 4-3 loss to the Angels in the 10th at T-Mobile Park.
Adam Frazier hit a two-out RBI single that helped avoid what would’ve been their first shutout since June 19, then Ty France tied it up with a two-run double. Seattle native Jake Lamb sparked the rally with an up-the-middle, 99.7 mph single in his first at-bat for his childhood team.
But with a lead runner to work with in the 10th, Paul Sewald surrendered a sacrifice bunt, then a sacrifice fly that proved decisive, even though he went 1-2-3 for the inning. Alas, the Mariners lost a weird one, but felt good about their resiliency despite some familiar offensive limitations for most of the night.
“We've been playing really good baseball,” Mariners manager Scott Servais said. “That's why I keep saying every game means the same. Whether you beat the Yankees in New York, or whether you win or lose here, they're all the same. I know some feel a bit bigger, but a win is a win, a loss is a loss. We're not going to win every game the rest of the season. We need to respond tomorrow, get after it and do more offensively for sure.”
The more promising development was that Robbie Ray quickly found his footing after two brutal losses to the Astros in successive starts, completing seven innings, striking out 10 and giving up just one run during the first inning, which wasn’t exactly his fault. Jesse Winker made a late throw on a base hit that allowed Luis Rengifo to reach second base, even after pausing when rounding first. He then scored on an RBI single by Jo Adell, instead of being held at third. That play loomed, given how the rest of the night developed.
“Up until [the ninth], obviously, we didn't get much going offensively at all, and it's really a shame,” Servais said. “I thought Robbie Ray was really good tonight, kind of back on track after a couple of rough outings.”
Ray reverted mostly back to the four-seam/slider combination that he rode to the AL Cy Young Award last season, mixing in his newer two-seamer occasionally, but not as deliberately. Part of that was by design, the other part was getting back to a familiar avenue for success amid some struggles.
A sizable 23 whiffs tonight from Robbie Ray, including 13 on the slider, which was much crisper tonight. He didn't have to land it in the zone the way he did against Houston because the Angels were regularly chasing. pic.twitter.com/wTnZR3FMyl
“It's what got me to where I'm at right now,” Ray said. “So I think for the most part, it was just a conscious decision to roll with those, but also being aware of situations where a two-seam or something else would be a good choice for a pitch. But I feel like I was able to move my four-seam around. My two-seam was great when I threw it. But today, I was just trying to get back to who I am.”
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He also experienced an uptick in fastball velocity to an average of 94.5 mph, up from his season mark of 93.3 mph. Part of that was due to mechanical adjustments in recent bullpens, where Ray focused more on his lower half, specifically with his drive down the mound. With a unique delivery that puts his entire back toward the hitter, he can become rotational more easily.
“I think the turn is more of a coil,” Ray said. “If I can think more of a coil than a turn, leading with the lower body instead of the upper body, that just allows me to really drop into my lower half and get down the mound.”
Maybe Ray, always proactive about making in-game and in-season adjustments, will be able to use this as a springboard over these final two months. At least he won’t have to face the Astros again until at least October.