SEATTLE – It’s hard for anything to look too “bleak” or “dire” or “grim” six games into an MLB season.
Remember, it was the Astros who started off 1-5 last year before using their next 156 games to win the American League West.
But Wednesday was set up to send the Mariners spiraling into their first road trip. Then, they provided their fans with a Cy of relief.
On the mound for the Tigers, after all, was last season’s AL Cy Young winner, Tarik Skubal, a Seattle U product who was picked unanimously for the award. And the Mariners (3-4) were in the midst of a two-game losing streak that included a one-hit performance Tuesday night.
A low-scoring loss in the final game of this homestand would have nurtured the longstanding narrative that Seattle’s offense can’t properly supply its standout pitching staff. Instead, the Mariners head into their off day just one game (a lot better than three games) under .500 after a 3-2 win.
“(Skubal) is a good pitcher. He’s proven over time that is a Cy Young Award winner. And he’s in front of his home fans here to some degree, and it is a big win for us,” Mariners manager Dan Wilson said. “We go into the off day now, get a little rest and are on the road for the first time … so yeah there is some significance to getting that ‘W’ today.”
The sizzle from the Mariners’ opening-day comeback win vs. the Athletics had cooled off over the ensuing days. Heading into Wednesday, they had won just one of their past five games and had been one-hit by Detroit’s No. 5 pitcher, Casey Mize.
There was little reason to think that Skubal wouldn’t have his way with the M’s, but then came the second inning, when – with Dylan Moore on first and two out – Detroit second baseman Colt Keith turned toward second instead of first after fielding a J.P. Crawford ground ball, allowing both Moore and Crawford to reach safely.
It wasn’t ruled an error, but it was a blatant mental blunder. One at-bat later, left fielder Victor Robles ripped a double to center to give the Mariners a 2-0 lead.
When you’re facing a pitcher of Skubal’s talent, it’s imperative to capitalize on every mistake. The M’s did that. But for (necessary) insurance purposes, Moore hit a solo home run in the fourth that just crept over the right-field wall. With Luis Castillo and M’s relievers on the mound, that was all the M’s needed.
Castillo’s first start was about as anti-climactic as the M’s first five games. In Seattle’s second contest of the season, “La Piedra” allowed two runs through five innings in a 7-0 loss to the A’s.
He was sharper on Wednesday vs. the Tigers, allowing two runs – both in the fifth – through seven innings while striking out five.
Castillo has been in the league for nine years. He has faced every kind of pitcher you can think of. Still, there’s always going to be a little more juice when the hurler on the other side is considered the best in the league.
“I always come with the mentality of just going out there and try to do my job, try to dominate the other opponent,” Castillo said through an interpreter. “But you do face someone like that, like Skubal, a Cy Young guy, there are some emotions just because you get the comparisons with someone who won the Cy Young.”
Of course, Wednesday’s operation was nearly squandered when Mariners closer Andrés Muñoz loaded the bases with one out in the ninth. Thankfully, Moore gunned down Keith at home after a ground ball to third for the second out, which Muñoz followed by fanning Zach McKinstry to win the game. It was an adventure – and not the type Muñoz is used to experiencing at T-Mobile Park.
But you won’t see that in the standings.
“Every game counts, but that gives us a little more momentum to keep winning,” Muñoz said.
Analyzing any MLB team at this stage of the season is generally a futile exercise. But the Mariners being 29th in MLB in batting average and 10th in ERA is a bit of a familiar tale . Still, they beat the man who might have the top arm in the league Wednesday. Counts like all the rest for their record, but that wasn’t just any other game.