Swap out your tinfoil for some warding talismans. The Etsy Witch is approaching Sesame Street numbers territory, as the Seattle Mariners took a third straight victory with a 4-2 victory that felt tidy and comfortable by the end but left space for it’s own dramatics.
The St. Louis Cardinals entered this series down two important features. The first was Willson Contreras, the club’s catcher-turned-outfielder-turned-catcher-again-and-now-finally-first-baseman. Suspended through tonight, a thin St. Louis lineup
lacked one of its best hitters, despite the return of Alec Burleson, whose immediate impact was felt with a two-run fourth inning home run on one of Bryan Woo’s only truly ill-located offerings on the evening. That 2-0 hole loomed, with Seattle threatening but failing to draw blood off veteran crimson-haired Lil Dicky impersonator Miles Mikolas. Some of that came from great play, as Victor Scott II spent much of the game saving runs for St. Louis, from diving catches against Cal Raleigh to excellent relays to contain the M’s comeback.
Fortunately, Woo was excellent otherwise, and while he lamented not getting the heater to Burleson down enough postgame, the result was six frames with two runs, nine strikeouts, no walks, and just three hits.
“In the fourth, I just kind of missed my spot with the base hit, and then put it in the one hole where you can’t throw it to [a lefty]. That stuff’s on me. I’m just trying to build on it. But you know, you’re getting beat on one or two pitches.”
One or two pitches could’ve been all it took, however Seattle’s pressure of Mikolas came through first in the fourth. It was a Randy Arozarena double, on a swing that looked like an excellent adjustment to the multi-speed offerings of Mikolas, followed by an infield single from Julio aided by a classic Randy Shenandy on the basepaths. Teasing Nolan Gorman into a no-throw, while the play might’ve worked out anyways with Rodríguez running, it was heady play. Josh Naylor, working the aged Mikolas, checked his swing on a pitch up and in, then immediately appealed to the umpire and dugout, claiming catcher’s interference.
It wasn’t clear on the replay from the broadcast, but the dugout chose not to challenge, to the disappointment of Naylor. Seattle’s 1B grounded into a double play the next pitch, likely not out of spite, but comically poetic. It wasn’t a sure thing that the call would’ve been overturned, and the video room can only go off what they’ve got, but it would’ve been a bitter flavor on the tongue if that had been the only chance Seattle got.
Fortunately, that’s not the case, for several reasons. Baseball is not just a cycle of microwaved misery. Seattle’s offense is good, and dangerous, pressuring Mikolas further and entering the sixth inning with menacing intent. Leo Rivas, getting a start against a righty on the back of a spate of strong play, battled for a nine-pitch walk, with the pocket-sized switch-hitter getting a call at the top of the zone or close to it to immediately pressure Mikolas. Foundation laid, Rivas proceeded to take enormous leads at first, agitating Mikolas and earning a throw over, helping earn Randy Arozarena a middle-in sinker at 91 mph that was cracked up the middle for a single. First and third, Cal Raleigh coming up. Tiring starter on the hill. Time for the Cardinals to dig into their strength, a deep bullpen with some unexpected gems…
In came Gordon Graceffo. Graceffo is a neat young hurler, making his 24th big league appearance this evening and just his 55th apperance in relief of his entire professional career, having started through the minors. He’s a moderate strikeout pitcher, whose results reflect some poor defensive fortune, particularly with a defense boasting Scott and Masyn Winn in particular. But St. Louis was down their three top remaining relief options of RHPs Matt Svanson, Riley O’Brien, and Kyle Leahy, with all three working heavily over the weekend against the San Francisco Giants. Thanks to those pesky Bay Area allies, Graceffo received an untidied greeting, walking Cal on four pitches to bring up the scalding-hot Julio Rodríguez once more.
Julio torches it. 105+ mph off the bat with that angle is impossible for even Winn to corral, though it’s blistered too hard for anything more than a single base of advancement for every player. The table remains set for Josh Naylor, who is provided a pitch – and the pitch – to place a bases-clearing two-RBI double (oops Julio).
Yes, Julio blew through what looked to me like a somewhat confusing but theoretically understandable stop sign. Despite the placement, Winn’s arm is on full display here, as one of the best in the entire sport. So be it. I could not be upset, nor could Naylor, who perhaps received a make-up challenge effort by his manager in favor of an extra RBI, attempting to sneak Julio in safely to no avail. Not only was this first-pitch cookie from an inexperienced reliever a gift, but the positioning of St. Louis’ outfield was absolutely baffling.
The initial clip to the behind-home view shows us Scott and RF Jordan Walker well on the left and right respectively of frame, leaving a larger gap in right-center than I can recall for a LHH in some time. Sure, Naylor sprays the ball more than many, and Scott’s range is immense, but if you were setting up your defense, might you look at this spray chart and think “maybe a littttle shaded?”
The Cardinals did not, and the Mariners took a 3-2 lead. They’d double the distance when Naylor, recharged on his nonsense with a few minutes to breathe during the challenge, swiped third base and trotted home on a responsible sacrifice fly from Jorge Polanco. This is Polo’s only mention of the game, but it’s worth noting he hit the ball hard all night, including a double of his own and a foul ball that nearly left the yard.
The bullpen did its job without incident, with Matt Brash taking the 4-5-6, Eduard Bazardo handling 7-8-9, and Andrés Muñoz working around a one-out walk to knot the bow on a night Seattle drew within two games of the AL West lead and saw the Royals fall to three games back of their position in the Third Wild Card spot, with the Texas and Cleveland teams they hold the tiebreakers on holding pace. No mess, not too much stress, and a lovely beginning to the homestand. Now that’s magic.
