After taking two of three from the Detroit Tigers, Seattle ventured east to Fenway Park to face the Boston Red Sox. Though last place in their division, Boston’s record going into the series, 22-19, shows how competitive the American League East has been a quarter of the way into the season. The M’s crushed the baseball on Monday night, but the ‘ol uno reverse card was played against them the following two days, where Seattle gave up 21 runs on Tuesday and Wednesday night. Here’s a look at all three games against the Sox, starting with their series-opening win a few days ago.
George Kirby toed the rubber Monday night against Tanner Houck in a battle of hard-throwing righties.
A 0-0 ball game through four innings made it seem like the first team to score would end up victorious. This was true, yet Seattle kept their foot on the gas in the second half of the ballgame.
Cal Raleigh became the first catcher ever to homer from both sides of the plate in Fenway Park…in MLB history. In a ballpark he used to come watch former switch-hitting Boston catcher Jason Varitek when he was younger, Cal put one out deep into the right field seats, and another onto Lansdowne Street beyond the monster in left.
Cal Raleigh watches his second home run of the game fly over the Green Monster on Monday night. (Photo by Paul Rutherford/Getty Images)
Ty France, Jarred Kelenic, Eugenio Suarez and A.J. Pollock all had two or more hits as well to help total ten runs for the Mariners on Monday. George Kirby improved his record to 5-2, after six plus innings of one-run ball, striking out six along the way. Seattle took Monday’s game by a score of 10-1.
Looking to ride the offensive wave into Tuesday, it was Luis Castillo against Nick Pivetta.
Castillo has been giving up a lot of hard-hit balls recently, and that trend continued Tuesday. The Sox got on the board early and often in the first. Mastaka Yoshida tripled home Alex Verdugo, and one batter later, former-Dodger Justin Turner put one over the monster to give Boston a 3-0 lead. With two outs in the inning, Triston Casas hit his sixth home run of the year to give his team a four-run early cushion.
However, Seattle replied in the fourth inning. A two-RBI triple by Teoscar Hernandez, and a two-run home run by Taylor Trammell tied this game up at four apiece. But Boston wasn’t quite done yet.
Yoshida hit his second extra-base hit of the night in the fifth, a ground-rule double that again scored Alex Verdugo. A wild pitch in the next AB plated another run for Boston, and then Jarren Duran on the first pitch of his at bat hit a solo shot to right, giving the Red Sox a 7-4 lead.
Castillo’s Tuesday night ended in the fifth, after allowing seven runs on six hits. Boston added two more, and Seattle’s bats went quiet after their big inning. Final BOS 9 SEA 4.
Rubber match on Wednesday, as the M’s looked to clone their performance from Monday. Marco Gonzales took the hill looking to stay undefeated on the season, up against young right-hander Brayan Bello.
Like Tuesday, Boston went off in the early innings…nine runs as a matter of fact. Safe to say it was not the start Marco or the Mariners needed. Ten hits and nine runs before the second inning was over for the Sox.
Justin Turner rounds first after his home run in the second inning Wednesday night. (Photo by Nick Grace/Getty Images)
As one could imagine, this nine-run deficit made it virtually impossible for Seattle to come back.
Boston kept pouring it on and finished this game with 12 runs overall, on 16 hits. Marco was undefeated no-more as his final line looked like this: 1.2 IP, 8 H, 8 ER, 2 BB, K. Boston took the finale 12-3, and the series 2-1.
Off day today, as Seattle is en route to Atlanta to face off against the National League East-leading Braves. They will face off in Truist Park for three over the weekend, before heading back home Sunday night.
It’ll be RHP Bryce Miller (2-0, 0.47 ERA) vs. RHP Bryce Elder (3-0, 1.94 ERA) on Friday night, with first pitch at 4:20 PM local time. RHP Logan Gilbert (1-2, 3.91 ERA) will go for Seattle on Saturday and RHP George Kirby (5-2, 2.45 ERA) is scheduled to go Sunday. Atlanta has yet to announce their starters in games two and three.
American League West Standings as of Thursday evening:
- 1.Texas Rangers (26-17)
- 2.Houston Astros (24-19)
- 3.Los Angeles Angels (23-22)
- 4.Seattle Mariners (21-22)
- 5.Oakland Athletics (10-35)