The Mariners lineup could not touch grass Saturday.
A solo shot from Randy Arozarena in the sixth inning is all the Mariners could get in a 2-1 loss to the Athletics in extras. George Kirby pitched well, as did the bullpen behind him, but they could not outlast another modest offering from the lineup. The Mariners dropped to three games back of the Astros in the AL West.
Jeffrey Springs had pretty well dominated the Mariners this year in three starts, with a 1.59 ERA and 20 strikeouts in 17 innings.
He’s a lefty with a great changeup — a weakness the Mariners have confronted a lot of late.
That wasn’t quite the story Saturday. The Mariners touched up Springs, scorching line drives all over the field and chasing him at just 74 pitches. Most of that solid contact, however, found the gloves of well-positioned fielders.
In the fourth inning, Julio laced a 111.2 mph liner right at centerfielder Lawrence Butler. Eugenio Suárez and Josh Naylor each walked. Then Mitch Garver laced a 95.6 mph liner right to Butler again to end the threat. It was that kind of day. The Mariners drew four walks and had 14 hard hit balls, including nine greater than 100 mph. But they ultimately picked up just three hits. One of those hits was a 110.2 mph line drive homer from Arozarena off the hand-operated scoreboard in the sixth — their only run of the game
The Mariners best opportunity for more came right at the end, with a gifted runner in the top of the 10th, down 2-1. Jorge Polanco drew a leadoff walk. Victor Robles popped up a sac bunt on the first pitch he saw. J.P. Crawford nearly grounded into a double play, but Jacob Wilson bobbled it and could only get the out at second. Cole Young drew a long walk to load the bases with two outs. Arozarena grounded out to end the game.
Kirby was sharp enough to get through six innings allowing just one run on four hits. He walked three, as is his style these days, but picked up 14 whiffs and limited hard contact. It was an unspectacular but effective outing.
Kirby helped himself out in the second. A walk and single put runners on the corners. Darell Hernaiz dropped a soft squeeze bunt between the mound and home plate, just toward the first base line. Kirby charged, made a barehanded grab, and made a falling flip to Cal Raleigh, who tagged out Jacob Wilson at the plate. The inning eventually ended with a diving catch from Josh Naylor on a sharp liner to first.
The bullpen was effective behind Kirby to get the game to extras. Caleb Ferguson got the first two outs in the 10th but gave up a double to Shea Langeliers to score the gifted runner. The A’s took a final 2-1 lead.
The Mariners dropped to three back in the AL West. They play for the season series against the A’s on Sunday.
The news of the day
Robles started and played right field for the Mariners. He got a hit on a line drive, stole a base, bunted twice unsuccessfully, and made a diving catch. It was his first game since April 6, when he exploded his shoulder on a catch in the stands in San Francisco.
Robles was the Mariners’ most valuable hitter in 2024, with a 155 wRC+ after joining the team from the Nationals. It’s unlikely that he’ll hit at quite the same level the rest of the way — and it’s unclear how many ABs he’ll get with Domininc Canzone still playing well — but Robles brings defense and base running to a roster that’s lacked it all season. He showcased his wares Saturday.
While the news of Robles return wasn’t unwelcome nor unexpected, it was still a bit sour. Robles is facing a 10-game suspension for hurling his bat at a pitcher while rehabbing in a AAA game (he was upset after getting plunked for the fifth time in a week). He was still able to play Saturday because he’s appealing the suspension, but he will surely miss games again at some point in 2025.
It was also sour because the Mariners DFA’d Dylan Moore to make room for Robles, marking the end of an era. Moore was the longest tenured Mariner after signing as a free agent in 2019. If his time in Seattle is truly over, he finishes 21st in team history with 671 games played.
Moore epitomized the Control The Zone philosophy of the “retool” era. He hunted middle-middle fastballs, laid off everything else, and clobbered homers, especially against lefties. He fielded every position well enough to win the 2024 Gold Glove for utility fielders. While he was never quite a cornerstone player, he was a lasting exemplar of the Mariners’ “flexible” approach to team building — at times its justification, for better or worse. It was hard to imagine the roster without him. He always found a way.
But it became easier to imagine a Moore-less roster as his slump dragged on. After getting off to a hot start in 2025, with a 134 wRC+ in the first two months, he picked up just three hits in 74 plate appearances, striking out 38 times (51.4%). His bat speed was down, his chase and whiff were up, and he was no longer pulling the ball in the air with the game’s best. His range in the field was gone, or at least no longer good enough to offset a poor arm and a propensity to miscue. He fell to the bottom of the depth chart, and his playing time became sporadic, often incidental.
For 6 1/2 years Moore took advantage of the opportunity baked into the Mariners’s roster design. In the end, he couldn’t keep up. Goodbye, D-Money.
