The Angels made three bad throws that injured two-and-a-half Mariners batters.
That’s unfortunately the top headline in the Mariners eventual 1-0 and sweep of the Angels on Thursday. If you want the details on those injuries first, Kate Preusser has the latest. For a while it looked like we might have a headline involving a perfect game, then a no hitter, then a complete game shutout from Bryce Miller. But his day ended after seven innings, with eight strikeouts, no walks, two hits, one error behind
him, and no runs allowed. It also looked like Walbert Ureña might have a no hitter going for the Angels, though his horrible command eventually gifted a run to the Mariners, who looked unlikely to create one for themselves.
“To say runs were at a premium tonight would be an understatement,” Dan Wilson said after the game.
The Mariners had finally reassembled their ‘A’ lineup on Thursday, with the best batters they have to offer. The injury burn from the last month finally seemed to be fizzling out. Unfortunately, Mariners trainer Kyle Torgerson got the bulk of the screen time in the bottom of the first inning.
Julio Rodríguez worked a one-out walk. Dominic Canzone ripped a hard grounder to first. Angels first baseman Nolan Schanuel scooped, spun, and fired the ball right into the back of Julio’s head while trying to get the out of at second. It ricocheted into right-center field, and Julio broke for third, reaching with a roar, a fist pump, and a good bit of celebrating. The smile slowly faded as the adrenaline wore off; he stood, helmet in hand, scratching the back of his head. Torgerson and Wilson went out and spoke with him for a while. He’d finish the half inning and take the field in the top of the second. But he’d go to the locker room before his next at bat, giving his spot to Victor Robles.
A few pitches later, Randy Arozarena took a heater from Ureña square in the left elbow. It hit him hard. The elbow pad might have saved him, as he stayed in the game, but not after a long, grimaced chat with Torgerson and Wilson. Adding to the pain, Josh Naylor followed with a grounder right to the bag at second to begin an easy double play. The Mariners did not score with the bases loaded in the first.
Nor did they score in the bottom of the second when they struck out in order. And after two quick outs in the third, more pain: Ureña hit Robles (again, the guy replacing the injured Julio) in the inner forearm. This one also hit him hard. Robles went to first and fell to both knees while backup trainer Taylor Bennet massaged his hand and Wilson watched. No, the Mariners did not score in this inning either.
In the top of the fourth with two outs, J.P. Crawford broke up Miller’s perfect game. Miller had been exceptional to that point, getting through what should have been four perfect innings in 41 pitches. Crawford instead got a routine grounder and sailed the ball well over Josh Naylor’s head. Miller got Jorge Soler to strikeout to end the inning, with a no hitter and shutout still in the cards.
It really did feel like he might some type of history Thursday. Miller struck out five consecutive batters early, from the last batter of the first, to the first batter of the third. He leaned on the fastball splitter combo all game, picking up seven whiffs on each. His command was phenomenal, riding the top rail with his fastball and getting chase below the zone with his split. He finished the day with eight strikeouts and no walks, lowering his FIP to 2.77 and improving his K-BB to second best in the majors at 30.5%.
“I feel like I’m finally pitching like how I felt like I should have been pitching coming off the ’24 season. It just feel like this is what I’m supposed to do. This is how I’m supposed to pitch. So it’s been a lot of fun seeing success, having consistent success, but helping the team win – a lot of times last year, I go out and throw and before I come out of the game it’s five-zero and I’m like, this is not fun at all, I’m not helping anybody here. So being able to get back to who I am, pitching how I have been, is a lot of fun, and I’m super grateful to finally be healthy, see the success, and continue to stack outings and weeks together.”
The no-hitter was still intact entering the fifth. Naylor saved a hit on the leadoff batter, leaping way up on a liner from Wade Meckler, bopping the ball into the air with his mitt, and catching it on the second try. Miller would get two quick fly outs to finish five innings at 55 pitches.
That sent Ureña back to the mound for the bottom half to work on his own no hitter. He got through the fifth quickly, having breezed since the shaky (but hitless) first. The other thing I wrote in the pregame was that Ureña can be a bit of a tough day for a lineup — he has a heavy sinker, a filthy changeup, and poor aim. The Mariners proved not up to task. They chased a bunch and either whiffed or beat the ball into the ground (when they weren’t getting plunked). It’s a lineup heavily reliant on the long ball, and Ureña kept them on the ground for five innings and 74 pitches.
On pitch 75, Crawford smacked a double into the right-center gap to lead off the bottom of the sixth. It was the game’s first hit. Weston Wilson, now in the game for the injured Robles, who was in for the injured Julio, struck out. But Canzone walked behind him. And Arozarena walked behind him (on a pitch that nearly hit his head) to load the bases with one out. Up stepped Naylor, having grounded into a double play with the bases loaded in the first inning; he did less damage this time, striking out on three pitches.
That put the game in the hands of Cal Raleigh. He fell behind 0-2, but he battled for nine pitches, and a took fastball way up and away for ball four. Crawford trotted home for the game’s first run. Ureña’s day was done after 5 2/3 innings, 107 pitches, one hit and one run allowed. After the change, Luke Raley, with no pinch hitters left on the bench, would strikeout left-on-left to leave the bases loaded.
Miller’s no hitter didn’t last much longer. Leading off the top of the seventh, Schanuel hit a little flare that fell in soft space between second, center and right. It was a 67 mph blooper that broke up Miller’s bid. Denzer Guzman followed with another soft liner, just out of the reach of a diving Weston Wilson.
“I would have preferred about a 120-foot line drive,” Miller said. “Felt like they didn’t really earn those two hits, but they fall sometimes.”
The pressure of relative history was gone, replaced by the pressure of holding a 1-0 lead. Miller stepped up. Strikeout. Flyout. Groundout. And he was out of the seventh at 90 pitches, one hit, and a 1-0 lead.
It wasn’t quite over though. The Mariners went down in order in the bottom seventh. Then the Angels went down in order against Eduard Bazardo in the eighth. The Mariners went down in order in the bottom half.
That brought Andrés Muñoz to the mound to close out the 1-0 win. He walked Zach Neto on four pitches to lead off. He fell behind 2-0 on Schanuel before landing his first strike. On the next pitch, Neto took off for second. Muñoz picked off right at that moment; Naylor took the throw and fired to second to nab Neto for the first out. Wilson after the game noted Manny Acta had figured out Neto’s tendencies and called for the pick.
Schanuel smacked a single to replace Neto at first. After a fly out, Jorge Soler picked up another single to put two on with two outs. Muñoz took a quick breather, then toed the rubber. He went right after Meckler with a first-pitch fastball down and away. Meckler dribbled it to short. Colt Emerson charged, scooped, and fired — not into anybody’s head — a perfect strike to first. The Mariners won 1-0, completing a sweep of the Angels.
