Mariners notes: Seattle wins third straight series; Rodriguez named AL Rookie of the Month
The Mariners won only two series in May.
They secured their first road series win of the season midway through the month when they took two of three games from the Mets to open a 10-game swing on the East Coast.
They didn’t win another until their return to Seattle two weeks later, ending a frustrating stretch with a pair of wins in a three-game series against the Astros.
June is off to a better start.
After ending their most recent homestand with that series win over Houston, the Mariners (24-30) won two more in back-to-back three-game sets against the Orioles and Rangers on the road the past week.
Seattle picked up a pair of wins in both Baltimore and Arlington in continuing to try to climb back to a .500 record and American League West contention.
“I think we’re right where we need to be,” Mariners shortstop J.P. Crawford told reporters postgame Sunday in Arlington after Seattle bested the Rangers, 6-5, in extra innings to secure the second consecutive road series win.
“ … We were in this spot last year and we started heating up around this time, too. So, if we continue to progress every day like we have and put in the work every day, I think we’re going to be in a good spot.”
Sunday’s come-from-behind win at Globe Life Field in particular gave the Mariners some positive momentum before flying south to Houston to close out this trip with a three-game series against the division-leading Astros.
Following a timely two-run home run from Mitch Garver in the eighth, the Mariners were trailing by three entering the final inning, and the Rangers were in solid position to send Seattle to Houston with back-to-back losses following a one-run defeat Saturday.
Then Ty France cut into the lead with a solo homer to right, his one-out blast beginning a string of four consecutive Mariners hits.
Julio Rodriguez followed up with a base hit, and J.P. Crawford added another.
Eugenio Suarez then doubled to right on the first pitch he saw, driving in both runs on his third hit of the afternoon. Crawford slid into home ahead of the tag to tie the score at 5-5.
“We just kept the line moving there and got some big hits,” Mariners manager Scott Servais told reporters in Arlington postgame. “That’s what it takes to win these games on the road.”
Diego Castillo struck out the side in the bottom half of the inning to send the game to extra frames.
Abraham Toro scored Seattle’s decisive run on a wild pitch minutes later, and Paul Sewald closed out the game and the series win for the Mariners by forcing three pop ups in the 10th.
Sunday’s win was Seattle’s fourth consecutive game decided by one run — and the Mariners won three of those the past four days, including two in extra innings.
“Credit to our guys,” Servais said. “No quit. We did not quit today. We certainly could have. But, we win our third series in a row.”
The Mariners — now 11 games back in the AL West — will try for a fourth series win beginning Monday night at Minute Maid Park.
ROOKIE OF THE MONTH
Rodriguez opened May with his first major league home run — a 450-foot blast that helped lift the Mariners to a victory over the Marlins in Miami — and ended it by earning his first AL Rookie of the Month nod.
“I think it’s well-deserved, first of all,” Servais told reporters in Arlington pregame Friday. “He’s had an outstanding month. It kind of got started over in Miami — he hit that big home run over there to help us win that game — and he hasn’t backed off.”
The award, announced Friday morning, followed a stellar second month in the majors for the 21-year-old outfielder, who hit .309/.339/.527 with four doubles, a triple, six homers, 17 RBI and five stolen bases.
“It’s pretty cool just to be recognized for your performance,” Rodriguez told reporters pregame Friday. “But, it’s definitely not something that I see as, ‘Oh, I was working towards this.’ It’s just kind of something that happened because of performance, but it feels really good.”
Rodriguez has continued his impressive stretch five games into June, hitting 6-for-18 (.333) with three runs scored, a double, RBI, four walks and three stolen bases since the month turned over.
He is now hitting .274/.330/.418 with 24 runs scored, nine doubles, a triple, six home runs, 24 RBI, 16 walks and a major league-leading 17 stolen bases through 53 career games this spring.
“I’ve just got to keep my eyes open, keep my ears open, just keep on learning and keep performing,” Rodriguez said.
MARINERS ADD RELIEVER
Seattle added to its bullpen Saturday, acquiring left-hander Ryan Borucki from Toronto in a deal that sent minor league infielder Tyler Keenan — the club’s fourth-round pick in 2020 — to the Blue Jays.
Borucki, 28, was drafted by Toronto in the 15th round in 2012, and had spent the entirety of his career in the Blue Jays system prior to joining the Mariners.
He made his big league debut midway through the 2018 season, and is 8-9 with a 4.47 ERA in 75 appearances (19 starts) in the majors the past five seasons.
Borucki appeared in relief in 11 games for the Blue Jays this spring, allowing seven runs on seven hits while walking five and striking out eight in his 6 1/3 innings before he was designated for assignment Tuesday.
He has not yet appeared in a game for Seattle.
Keenan joins Toronto’s system after spending the past two seasons with High-A Everett, hitting .212/.317/.367 with 22 doubles, nine home runs, 58 RBI and 44 walks to 129 strikeouts in 89 games with the AquaSox while primarily appearing at first and third base.
ON DECK
The Mariners conclude their nine-game road trip with a three-game series against the Astros in Houston beginning Monday. They return to Seattle on Friday to begin an 11-game homestand against the Red Sox, Twins and Angels.
This story was originally published June 6, 2022 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Mariners notes: Seattle wins third straight series; Rodriguez named AL Rookie of the Month."
