With the Seattle Mariners’ postseason hopes nearly dashed — they have a 5.4% chance of making it, according to FanGraphs — they’ve at least enjoyed a glimpse into the future the past two days.
In a 10-5 loss Tuesday to the visiting Texas Rangers, rookie Lazaro Montes hit a tape-measure home run. The 474-foot blast was the longest by a Mariner at T-Mobile Park in the Statcast era (since 2015).
And Wednesday, prized pitching prospect Kade Anderson earned his first major league victory, defeating the Rangers 3-2 with six quality innings.
The three-game series between the American League West rivals will wrap up Thursday afternoon in Seattle.
Anderson, the third overall pick in the 2025 MLB draft after leading LSU to the College World Series championship, was making his fourth start with the Mariners (68-78). The left-hander allowed one run on six hits, with one walk and five strikeouts.
“It was a tight game, so we were pulling for him to get through six (innings) because … that is a big boost of confidence there,” Mariners manager Dan Wilson said. “I thought he looked to me like he was almost getting stronger as the game went on, which is always a good sign.”
After striking out Jake Burger to end the top of the sixth inning, Anderson, 22, received a standing ovation from the fans in attendance.
“It means a lot just having their support,” Anderson said. “I wouldn’t say the easiest transition, by any means. But it makes this feel even better. This is just the beginning of it. This is the standard that I set myself to.”
Anderson credited an in-game adjustment for his success.
“It’s more of a mentality of attacking guys,” he said. “I felt like when I made that adjustment, my velocity shot up, just throwing things more aggressively in the zone. It just felt like at some points, I was trying to locate over like throwing something by a dude. That was the biggest game changer.”
Burger and Corey Seager each hit a solo homer for the Rangers (72-74), who are chasing Houston in the division and Cleveland in the AL wild-card race.
Texas went 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position and left seven on base.
“The runners in scoring position, we had trouble with today,” Rangers manager Skip Schumaker said. “We didn’t have any hits with any guys on base, and that was ultimately the reason why we lost the game.”
The series finale will feature a pair of right-handers from Stetson University in the Rangers’ Jacob deGrom (10-9, 3.96 ERA) and the Mariners’ Logan Gilbert (11-9, 3.71), the third time the former Hatters have squared off this season.
deGrom didn’t get a decision Saturday against Tampa Bay, a game the host Rangers lost 6-3 in 10 innings. He allowed two runs on four hits over six innings, with one walk and seven strikeouts.
deGrom is 2-2 with a 2.83 ERA in 10 career starts against the Mariners. He doesn’t have a decision in two starts against them this season, allowing one run over five innings in a 2-1 Rangers victory April 6 and a 6-4 defeat July 26, both in Arlington, Texas.
Gilbert has lost his past two starts following a three-game winning streak. He allowed seven runs on eight hits over 4 2/3 innings Friday in a 7-6 loss to the visiting Athletics despite 10 strikeouts.
He is 5-4 with a 3.02 ERA in 19 career starts against the Rangers, with three of those starts coming earlier this season. He took losses April 6 in Texas and April 17 at home despite allowing just two runs in each and got a no-decision July 26 as he gave up three runs over 5 2/3 innings.
–Field Level Media
