Mariners fail to keep up with Dodgers in series opening loss

By Bel Garcia, edited by Charles Hamaker

Seattle, WA - The Seattle Mariners welcomed the real Los Angeles team to T-Mobile Park for their second series of the current homestand, battling the Dodgers on Roberto Clemente night. Coming off their series win against the Angels, the Mariners looked to start the series with a win against one of the best teams in all of baseball. Seattle also found themselves in a familiar position through 146 games, their 81-65 record is the same one they had last season at this same point.

Seattle Mariners second baseman Josh Rojas was the Roberto Clemente award nominee for the Arizona Diamondbacks, so he wore the #21 even though Marco Gonzales was the nominee for the Mariners (Photos by Mathew Bermudez)

Tonight marked the 22nd annual Roberto Clemente Day in the MLB, celebrated every 15th of September since 2002. Prior to the game, the Mariners celebrated their nominee Marco Gonzales for the award. Familiar to the award, Gonzales was also nominated for the Mariners last year. Each team nominates a player on the roster annually who best exemplifies the game of baseball off the field in their community with philanthropy and positive contributions.

The two pitching staffs of the Los Angeles Dodgers and Seattle Mariners dueled heavily in this game, with the Dodgers ultimately holding the Mariners to just three runs (Photos by Mathew Bermudez)

Mariners second-year pitcher George Kirby was the starter in tonight’s matchup in a right-handed showdown with Dodgers starter, Bobby Miller. For Miller, it is his first career start against the Seattle Mariners, the rookie pitcher has 18 starts for the year. It’s a new match up for George Kirby as well, who made his 53rd career start, but only the 1st against the Dodgers. The first three innings of the game were great displays of pitching performances by Kirby and Miller. With no runs yet, the Dodgers had only knocked one hit to the Mariners two. Miller had five strikeouts to Kirby’s four, and the offense was at a standstill for majority of the beginning of this one.

The Seattle Mariners offense had it’s bright spots, but ultimately failed to do enough to get runs across against the Los Angeles Dodgers in game one (Photos by Mathew Bermudez)

Seattle third baseman Eugenio Suarez broke the scoring drought with a solo homer to left field in the bottom of the fourth, for the first run of the game. “Geno” connected with a Miller 81 MPH curve ball just inside the bottom of the strike zone. In the top of the fifth, Dodgers infielder Miguel Rojas took the lead from the Mariners with a two-run homer just over the left-field wall and into the Dodgers bullpen. Rojas’ fourth homer of the season drove in Jason Heyward for the 2-1 lead. Although this was a Seattle home game, you might assume that it was actually taking place in Los Angeles. We’re used to seeing fields of blue at T-Mobile Park, but there was a lot more Dodger blue in the stands tonight. The fans also made themselves known with “Let’s Go Dodgers” chants, and in the top of the 6th, catcher Will Smith was hit by Kirby’s pitch, which prompted boo’s. The free base as a result of that hit by pitch led to a run, as it was followed up by a Max Muncy triple to right field that was just out of Ty France’s diving reach on a line drive. The Dodgers continued to up the score to 4-1, on another base hit as an RBI single by J.D. Martinez drove in Muncy. Kirby found a way to regain his composure with only one out to retire the next two batters.

Los Angeles’ Bobby Miller’s wild pitch to Teoscar Hernandez in the bottom of the sixth put the Mariners in scoring position with no outs. Hernandez’s base hit scored Julio Rodriguez to cut the Dodgers’ lead to 4-2, just as thrilling he continues his on-base streak and extends it to 29 game which is still the longest active streak in the Majors. Marinres catcher Cal Raleigh, who now stood on third, scored even though Eugenio Suarez grounded into double play that also saw Hernandez out at second. Seattle outfielder Jarred Kelenic continued the offense with a single, but after a couple outs and a single from Ty France, Seattle had runners on the corners with two outs. Another wild pitch by reliever Caleb Ferguson advanced Ty France to second, but Dylan Moore struck out looking to end the inning with the deficit at just one run now.

The Los Angeles Dodgers offense was held at bay early on, before they were ultimately able to break through and secure a lead they’d never let go of (Photos by Mathew Bermudez)

Kirby was relieved by Justin Topa in the top of the seventh, ending his time on the mound at six innings pitched allowing five hits, four runs (all earned), two walks with seven strikeouts on 81 pitches. Kirby threw ten less pitches Miller, who had 91 thrown across 5.2 innings pitched. Miller’s line was similar to Kirby’s with six hits, three runs (all earned), two walks, one homer allowed and seven strikeouts. Topa held the Dodgers to no runs in the seventh inning pitched, before Gabe Speier took the mound in the eight inning and found himself in some trouble. Los Angeles first baseman Freddie Freeman made his way around the bases after he was hit by a pitch, which resulted in a steal of second, and advancing to third on a throwing error by catcher Cal Raleigh. After a pitching change from Mariners manager Scott Servais, Matt Brash took the mound, but Freeman eventually crossed home plate on a Martinez RBI single, increasing the lead to 5-3.

Seattle had some chances to make this one closer and score some more runs late in the game. A J.P. Crawford double in the seventh inning resulted in J.P. being left on base. In the top of the eighth, a Kelenic single and a France hit by pitch also resulted in the two runners left on base. The Mariners bullpen found themselves in some more trouble in the ninth and final inning. Trent Thornton gave up a home run to Dodgers center fielder James Outman, who sent a rocket toward center field, doubling the Dodgers lead 6-3. The Mariners were unable to rally from the deficit opening the series with the loss. In total the Dodgers had eight hits and only left four runners on base, while the Mariners had eleven hits, but stranded ten runners. Game two takes place Saturday night in a sold-out T-Mobile Park with the Mariners sights set on a bounce back.

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