When the Seattle Mariners acquired Josh Naylor a week before the trade deadline, they knew they were getting a first baseman with a good bat and a solid glove.
However, they couldn’t have expected what the 5-foot-10, 235-pound Naylor would do on the basepaths.
Naylor homered and stole two bases for the second consecutive night as the Mariners defeated the visiting Chicago White Sox 8-6 on Wednesday.
Seattle will attempt to sweep the three-game series on Thursday afternoon.
In 12 games with the Mariners, Naylor has three homers and is 10-for-10 on stolen-base attempts.
“He’s a really smart player, a real heady player, a really focused player,” Mariners manager Dan Wilson said. “Any advantage he can find, he’s going to take advantage of it.”
At his current pace with Seattle, Naylor would have 135 steals over a 162-game schedule. Rickey Henderson holds the modern major league record of 130, set in 1982.
“He does not look that fast, but he is always smart,” said third baseman Eugenio Suarez, who was Naylor’s teammate in Arizona before the two were reunited with the Mariners. “He knows when to go. He reads the pitcher. He knows what kind of pitch he might be throwing in that situation right there, and he (gets) a really good jump every time.”
Naylor is just happy to be with a contending team. The Mariners are 5-1 on their 10-game homestand — the lone loss was in extra innings against the Texas Rangers — and they currently hold the American League’s second wild-card spot.
“These guys are awesome here. I was welcomed with open arms and I’m super thankful for that,” Naylor said. “Everyone seemed very excited for me to be here. I’m excited to be here. … I love baseball. I love being a good teammate. I love playing hard. I love trying to make a difference on the field, any which way, whether defense, offense, baserunning.”
Julio Rodriguez added a three-run homer for the Mariners on Wednesday, and right-hander George Kirby won his third straight start after throwing six innings of two-run ball.
The White Sox, who trailed 7-1 after two innings, got homers from Mike Tauchman, Lenyn Sosa and Michael A. Taylor, but the rally came up short in their third straight defeat.
“To go down six early in the game there, you’ve got a choice,” White Sox manager Will Venable said. “You can pack it in or fight, and our guys have always chosen to fight. It was great to see the continued effort, continued battle.”
The Thursday series finale is set to feature a pair of right-handers, White Sox rookie Shane Smith (3-7, 4.25 ERA) and the Mariners’ Logan Gilbert (3-4, 3.45).
Smith is winless in six starts since June 10. He was in line to get a victory on Friday against the Los Angeles Angels in Anaheim, Calif., but was pulled due to control problems after 4 1/3 innings.
Smith took a no-decision against visiting Seattle on May 21, when he gave up three runs on two hits over five innings in a game the White Sox eventually lost 6-5.
Gilbert, the Mariners’ Opening Day starter, missed seven weeks this season with a right elbow flexor strain, his first time on the injured list in his career. He didn’t get a decision in Seattle’s 4-3 victory against Texas on Friday, when he allowed three runs on five hits over six innings.
Gilbert is 2-0 with a 1.80 ERA in five career starts against the White Sox.
–Field Level Media
