Mariners halt four-game losing skid with 16-3 blowout of Athletics
By Charles Hamaker
Oakland, CA – To snap a four-game losing streak, including back-to-back walk off losses to begin this final series in Oakland against the Athletics, the Seattle Mariners pulled a blowout effort out to ensure that they aren’t going to be swept in this four-game set. Back-to-back walk off defeats and the general mood around the team since they saw their ten-game lead atop the American League West evaporate made it seem as though the Mariners weren’t going to see very many wins for the rest of the 2024 season, but a victory that saw Seattle score the most runs in a single game for the franchise since 2016 provides some small shred of hope. Add the fact that the division leading Houston Astros lost in a blowout today, and some extremely optimistic Mariners fans may have hope that Seattle will be able to get this team on a hot streak. Behind a quality start from George Kirby and eleven runs between the seventh and eighth innings alone, the Mariners showed that they won’t completely lie down to finish out the year. With an outside chance to make the playoffs, whether it be through taking the top spot in the division or through the final Wild card spot in the American League, a win like this could be just the spark Seattle needs.
A slow start seems just like previous games...
If we were basing this game off the first inning, it felt like the Mariners were going to lull everyone into another tight defeat to add on to their losing streak of four games at the time. The top three batters in the Seattle order went down quietly as JP Sears worked a clean frame, while the Athletics bounced on the first two pitches that Mariners starter George Kirby threw to manufacture a run off a double and single. Thankfully, you do have to play nine innings, and Seattle answered back with two runs in the next half inning free bases from Randy Arozarena and Victor Robles (Hit by pitch, walk respectively) as a Mitch Garver double drove them both in to give the Mariners a lead that they’d never relinquish. George Kirby responded positively to the minimal run support he got after giving up a run, as he went on to retire the next eleven batters that he faced which meant that the Athletics were held scoreless for the next four innings. Seattle’s offense added to the lead, dropping three more runs in the fourth inning off four straight hits as Victor Robles doubles, Mitch Garver singled, Luis Urías doubled, and Dylan Moore singled with all of those knocks coming on two outs. A four-run lead could feel safe in most games, but not with how the Mariners have been playing lately, and that advantage was cut into in the sixth as Brent Rooker singled before being driven in by a JJ Bleday double. That moment could’ve become a rallying point for Oakland, but it instead ignited an offensive uppercut by Seattle in the seventh.
“That’s what you have to do in this game. Just take advantage of mistakes or runners that weren’t supposed to be on, being able to capitalize on those runs are huge and they’re the difference maker.”
But a late surge helps get it done
As has been the trend in recent weeks for the Seattle Mariners, little to no run support has broken down to blowing leads late and often in heart breaking fashion. Oakland looked to potentially be climbing back, but the Mariners were able to play add on late, and they did so in a big way. The first eight batters in the top of the seventh reached base for Seattle, as Luis hit a solo homer, Dylan Moore doubled, J.P. Crawford singled, Julio singled, Cal walked, Randy Arozarena doubled, Justin Turner walked, and Victor Robles singled before Mitch Garver struck out swinging to record the first out of the frame. A walk by Luis and a sacrifice fly by Dylan Moore put the finishing touches on the inning before J.P. grounded out to end the frame, adding seven runs to the Mariners' lead. The seven runs to make it twelve runs for Seattle could’ve been more than enough, the lineup could’ve turned it in there unless somehow Oakland started to roar back, but the Mariner bats didn’t stop with that. In the top of the eighth they added four more runs thanks to three straight singles by Cal Raleigh, Randy Arozarena, and Justin Turner before doubles by Victor Robles and Luis Urías drove them across. A total of sixteen runs across home plate for Seattle, more than enough to win the third game of this series and halt the teams losing skid at four.
It only means something if they build off it
As we have said on numerous occasions following satisfying wins for the Seattle Mariners this season, and there really haven’t been a lot of them to say that after, a big result like this only matters if the team is able to build off it and turn it into a winning streak. One of the problems with Seattle is that they’ve failed to string together any real sort of run to propel them forward or that could help them secure a playoff spot. Each team in the past three years, the 2021, 2022, and 2023 teams all had runs in them that propelled the Mariners forward and got them within a game of the playoffs twice and actually to the postseason once. This year's squad has not had that, and we now have 22 games left to play. If Seattle can somehow string together a massive push and win a large number of those 22 games left, may whatever deity you believe in strike me down where I sit and type these articles each night. It is going to take some magical fairy tale sort of run for the Mariners to right the ship and make the playoffs this season, or they’ll need the Houston Astros to completely collapse.
“It’s easier said than done when you put up 16 runs, you play nine innings that way. Continuing that mentality of when we score first, we need to continue to put the pedal down, continue to press and score runs in those middle innings, because those are kind of the separators in the games versus getting walked off late in the game. Continuing to put pressure on the other team is a big component.”
If this sort of game came at any other prior month in the season, it could be an inspiring performance considering how the offense was able to produce so much offense, especially with so much of it coming from the lower half of the batting order. Seattle got a strong outing from starting pitcher George Kirby, the bullpen was largely clean outside of one run given up by JT Chargois, and the offense was able to add on late to help secure the victory. Getting big nights at the plate from Mitch Garver, Luis Urías, and Victor Robles is something a person prior to the season would likely laugh at you for thinking about. The top three batters in the Mariners lineup combined for a dismal 3 for 17, but it didn’t end up battering thankfully. Seattle needs more from its “top hitters” in the lineup, but to go on any sort of postseason push they’ll also need the lower half of the order to at least chip in during the right opportunities. Here’s to hoping that Seattle will be able to build some momentum off this result, as opposed to it being a meaningless win that goes for nothing.
“George Kirby was outstanding tonight. Really needed a big outing from him, and we stepped up big time offensively. We did a ton of great stuff up and down the lineup, huge game for Garv and Urias as well. Just some great at bats all around, using the other field, some great two strike at bats. We’ve been talking a lot about the effort being there all week. These guys continue to fight, and today was a great way for them to be able to bust out. Just a lot of positives.”
Quick Mariners notes
4,390 was the announced paid attendance at the Oakland Coliseum for tonight’s Seattle Mariners at Oakland Athletics game.
That’s less than 10% of full capacity at the Oakland Coliseum (63,000).
Three game total attendance so far:
Game one: 12,167
Game two: 3,924
Game three: 4,390
The 16 runs scored tonight by the Mariners is a season high.
Those 16 runs scored against the Athletics is the most the franchise has ever scored in a single game against Oakland.
It's also their most since June 2nd, 2016, at the San Diego Padres (the game where they came back after trailing by 10).
Tonight’s Alex Mayer game winning stat: The Mariners 16-3 win tonight was the FIRST 16-3 final at a baseball game in Oakland Coliseum history. The only NFL game at the Coliseum with that score? The 2000 AFC Championship Game: Ravens 16, Raiders 3 on Jan. 14, 2001.
The Mariners had 21 plate appearances tonight with two strikes. They K’d six times but also had five hits, three walks, one sac fly, one HBP and seven RBIs in those sequences.
Most quality starts with 0 walks in MLB since 2022:
26 -- GEORGE KIRBY
20 -- Logan Gilbert
16 -- Aaron Nola
16 -- Logan Webb
16 -- Zack Wheeler
Tonight’s outing was a quality start for pitcher George Kirby, the 83rd quality start of the season for the Mariners.
Mariners starting pitcher George Kirby surrendered hits to the first two Athletics batters on his first two pitches. He retired the next eleven batters after that.
What’s next?
Following tonight’s double-digit win over the Oakland Athletics in the third game of the series, our Seattle Mariners will look to force a series split with the fourth game of the contest tomorrow in a getaway game. Our Mariners and the Athletics will wrap up the series tomorrow, Thursday, September 5th with a first pitch time of 12:37PM PDT as Bryan Woo will be on the mound for Seattle to duel against Oakland’s Joey Estes in a game that will be broadcast live on Root Sports Northwest within their market (Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Alaska) and on the radio at 710 AM. This will be the final game played in the Coliseum for the Mariners, as their next series against the Athletics is in Seattle and the team will play in Sacremento in the years prior to their expected move to Las Vegas. It seems only fitting that Bay Area native Bryan Woo will take the mound for the Mariners in this game, as he’ll look to improve off his last start where he allowed four earned runs against the Angels but will aim to keep his stretch of going deep into games. For Oakland’s Joey Estes, he’ll look to continue his impressive stretch of performances after allowing two earned runs or less in all but one start in the month of August. Estes also only allowed one run on three hits in two starts (11.1 innings pitched combined from those two starts) against the Mariners this year, so Seattle will certainly want to have a better performance against him in that contest.
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Cover photo by Eakin Howard/Imagn images
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