Mariners offense continues to surge despite Castillo’s rough outing, beating Angels 9-7
By Bel Garcia, edited by Charles Hamaker
Anaheim, CA - The Seattle Mariners got off to a quick scoring start against the Los Angeles Angels in game two of their four game series. The Mariners capped off the game with four dingers in the 9-7 win, inching closer to another possible series win. It was a full team effort with a long ball display from both teams, but the Mariners took the edge and the game behind contribution from all. With this being a crucial series for both of these American League West teams, trying to make a push for the postseason, the intensity runs high and there are sure to be memorable moments made, but I’m not sure anybody could have predicted the sort of chaos that we’ve seen in the two games played between the Angels and Mariners so far.
Seattle Mariners shortstop JP Crawford celebrates a double in the teams June 12th, 2023 game against the Miami Marlins (Photo by Mathew Bermudez)
The Mariners set the tone in the first inning, coming out strong against Angels starting pitcher Reid Detmers. Seattle shortstop J.P. Crawford's first hit of the game and baserunning allowed him to score on a Tom Murphy infield single, giving the Mariners an early 1-0 lead. But they were only getting started. A sight for sore eyes; Ty France stepped up to the plate and launched an impressive homer to deep center field; his eighth of the season, plating Murphy and Teoscar Hernández to extend the Mariners' lead to 4-0. The Mariners carried their late success from game one of the series into this one and never let up.
Not to be outdone, the Angels offense responded swiftly in the bottom of the first inning, as Luis Rengifo connected with a colossal home run to right field on the first pitch, trimming the Mariners' lead to 4-1. In the second inning, the Mariners Dylan Moore continued the home run parade with a towering blast to left center, increasing their lead to 5-1. Los Angeles showed resilience in the bottom of the third inning. They capitalized on an opportunity, as CJ Cron's single to right brought in Rengifo across and Shohei Ohtani's baserunning allowed him to reach third. Mike Moustakas followed the effective hitting by the Angels and drilled a home run to right field, knotting the score at 5-5 with an unexpected four-run inning, cutting the Mariners comfortable lead to null. It was the start of a new ball game.
The back-and-forth dinger battle continued into the fourth inning, with the Seattle's Julio Rodríguez delivering a clutch home run to right center, driving in Crawford to regain the lead at 7-5. The Angels, however, refused to let up. In the bottom of the fifth inning, Mickey Moniak launched a big blast to center, bringing in Moustakas and leveling the score at 7-7.
Seattle Mariners third baseman Eugenio Suarez makes a throw on the April 19th, 2023 game against the Milwaukee Brewers (Photo by Mathew Bermudez)
The game remained tied until the eighth inning, when the Mariners capitalized on an opportunity against the Angels Reynaldo Lopez, freshly brought in from the trade that included Lucas Giolito. Eugenio Suarez single to center field allowed Rodríguez to cross the plate, giving Seattle an 8-7 lead. Suarez has now extended his RBI steak to 10 consecutive games, notching him a spot in the record books for the most in Mariners history and topping his idol, Edgar Martinez’s 9-game RBI streak. It came late in the game for Suarez, but better late than never as he saw his streak live on and can continue to build on it.
In the ninth inning, Seattle catcher Cal Raleigh sealed the deal with a powerful solo home run to center field, padding the lead to 9-7. The Mariners' bullpen held strong in the final frame, as Matt Brash shut down the Angels' attempts at a comeback, securing the win. That heroic effort in the ninth inning included a strikeout of Shohei Ohtani in a huge moment. Game three of the four game series is tonight and with more success from offense the Mariners can win the series. Further putting them on a roll of winning series and setting them up to return home in a better standing overall.